In a futuristic North America lies Panem, a nation comprising of twelve districts surrounding the Capitol. After a failed rebellion by the districts, the harsh, draconian Capitol keeps the districts in line by annually sending one boy and one girl, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, to the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death. Winning means fame, fortune, and benefits your entire district. Losing, inevitably, means death. Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl from District Twelve, lives alone with her mother and twelve-year-old sister Primrose, and must use her excellent hunting skills (given to her by her father, who died in a mine accident five years ago) to find food in order to survive. On reaping day, when the twenty-four tributes from each district are collected, her sister Prim is chosen, most likely facing death – and Katniss, due to her devotion for her sister, volunteers to take her place. Along with Peeta Mallark, the male tribute from her district with which she has something of a history and a romantic relationship that may be more than staged, Katniss must put her survival skills to the test as she faces 23 other tributes from different districts, witness people’s death at the hands of others, and constantly fight to keep her own life and that of the ones she loves. “The Hunger Games,” the first in a trilogy by Suzanne Collins, is a PHENOMENAL dystopian novel, and one of the very best books that I have ever read. It is an unforgettable, extraordinary novel that I will never forget reading and am sure to re-read many times. Although I would not recommend it to younger readers, because of the bloody and violent nature of the book – I was kept from reading it for a long time – I would DEFINITELY recommend it to any young adult or adult, both girls and boys, who love dystopia or are simply looking for an unforgettable read.