If you haven't discovered the Hunger Games series, now might be the time to start with the movie coming out March 23rd.
If you already love the series, this could be a great time to refresh the memory and even talk among your geeklings (or your grown-up) friends about it. Given how this is a week for book clubs on GeekMom, it seemed appropriate to share the official Hunger Games Trilogy discussion questions supplied by the publisher, especially if you're planning on starting a book club for younger readers, as described in Kathy's post earlier this week.
Spoiler Warning: Many of the questions are inherently spoilerific so skip everything after the covers if you haven't read the books yet.
1. Why are the "tributes" given stylists and dressed so elaborately for the opening ceremony? Does this remind you of ceremonies in our world?
2. When Peeta declares his love for Katniss, does he really mean it, or did Haymitch create the "star-crossed lovers" story for the show?
3. Peeta tells Katniss, "...I want to die as myself...I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not." What does this tell you about Peeta? Is he able to stay true to himself during the Games?
4. What skills help Katniss stay alive? Her knowledge of nature? Her trapping ability? What personality traits keep her going? Her intelligence? Her self- control?
5. Why do Katniss and Rue become partners? What does Katniss gain from this friendship? How does this partnership differ from the other groups?
6. In what ways do the Gamemakers control the "entertainment" value of the Games? How does it affect the tributes to know they are being manipulated to make the Games more exciting for sponsors and viewers?
7. When does Katniss first realize that Peeta really does care for her? When does she realize her own feelings for him? Did Haymitch plan all along to keep them alive by stressing the love story? Are they actually in love?
8. Discuss other cultures in history that have staged fights-to-the-death as entertainment. How are they similar to aspects of our popular culture today that are reflected in the story?
1. How does Katniss's participation in the Games change her relationship with Gale?
2. How does the Victory Tour affect Katniss and Peeta, their relationship to each other, and their feelings about their future?
3. Why does the Capitol devise a special reaping for every 25th Game? Do you believe the requirements for this Quarter Quell were decided in the past or were they designed for this Game to force Katniss and Peeta back to the arena?
4. How did the mockingjay species develop? What is the significance of the mockingjay image?
5. What makes Katniss say, "No wonder I won the Games. No decent person ever does"? Is she being too hard on herself? If so, why? Can a decent person win the Games?
6. Why is Katniss determined to keep Peeta alive, even at the expense of her own life? Why does Finnick save Peeta’s life? When does Katniss realize that her first impression of Finnick was wrong?
7. What is more harmful to the players in the Game: the physical traumas like the fog and rain of fire, or the emotional trauma of hearing the jabberjays?
8. What does Haymitch mean when he tells Katniss, "You just remember who the enemy is—that’s all"? Who is the enemy?
9. Why were Katniss and Peeta not aware of the plans for the rebellion? Why were they kept in the dark when other tributes knew about it?
10. What is the meaning of the title "Catching Fire"?
1. What influences Katniss's decision to become the Mockingjay?
2. What is needed for Katniss to create a truly effective "propo"?
3. Discuss the role of television "propaganda" in today’s society and the techniques that are used to influence our thinking.
4. Discuss the changing relationship between Katniss and Gale. What does Gale say is the "only way I get your attention"? Does he truly love her?
5. Discuss the "hijacking" of Peeta’s brain. Discuss Katniss’s comment, "It’s only now that he’s been corrupted that I can fully appreciate the real Peeta."
6. What are Coin’s motives in ordering Peeta to join Katniss's squad?
7. Do you believe it was the rebels who killed the children with the exploding parachutes? If so, how does that make you feel about whether this was justified as a means of winning the war?
8. Why does Katniss vote for another Hunger Games? To save the lives of more people? Or does she secretly anticipate sabotaging the plan?
9. Why does Katniss assassinate Coin? To avenge Prim, or because she believes it is for the greater good of the country? Or both?
10. Gale tells Peeta that Katniss will pick whichever one of them she can't survive without. In the end, why is that one Peeta and not Gale?
For even more discussion, try comparing the themes in The Hunger Games to those in the following books.
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers. About teenage soldiers in Vietnam.
Sunrise Over Fallujah, by Walter Dean Myers. Young soldiers in Iraq face many dilemmas.
Feed, by M. T. Anderson. A “feed” is embedded in the brain of every citizen.
GemX, by Nicky Singer. A future society is divided into the “Enhanced” and the "Natural Born."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling. Harry confronts the forces of good and evil.
King of the Middle March, by Kevin Crossley-Holland. A young man in the Crusades faces moral choices.
Private Peaceful, by Michael Morpurgo. Two brothers face harsh army discipline in World War I.
The Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. In a future society, there is a compulsory operation at the age of 16 to create a uniform standard of "beauty."
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman. In a future world, teens selected for "unwinding" have their body parts harvested.
Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc, by Polly Schoyer Brooks. A young girl becomes the symbol of a rebellion.
