Catching Fire

Collins, S. (2009). Catching Fire. New York:  Scholastic.

Yes, I am a fan of The Hunger Games trio.  Yes, I get very excited about the movies.  I did see the recent movie.  It was good.  But of the three novels, Catching Fire is my favorite.  I teach The Hunger Games to my sophomore English class every year.  And every time I finish, I have the urge to read the subsequent novels.  Since the new movie was releasing soon, I decided to read Catching Fire, again.

Catching Fire is my favorite of the three novels.  The novel begins several months after the events of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games.  Katniss and Peeta have returned to life and made it as normal as possible.  But the Capitol is angry with the events that took place.  Now to save her own skin, Katniss must pretend to be in love with Peeta for the rest of her life.

Collins second novel is a great midpoint in the trilogy.  While The Hunger Games is used to introduce the world of Panem and the character of Katniss, Catching Fire is used to bring in the political undertones of the novel.  Katniss just wants to lead a normal life, but that isn't possible.  I would argue that the beginning of the novel moves pretty slowly.  The suspense of the games doesn't occur until much later in the novel.  Quite often, the reader is left confused along with Katniss as to the motives of other characters.  Collins uses present tense first person narration, just like The Hunger Games.  So the reader feels Katniss's emotions.

If you enjoy The Hunger Games, you MUST read Catching Fire.  And always read the novel before watching the move.  ALWAYS.  Or else the odds will never be in your favor.