Upper Elementary Book Review discussion

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

I would recommend this for advanced sixth graders, both on a reading level but more so on a maturity level. This is a very violent premise, but it introduces dystopian societies (which are all the middle school rage) and allows kids to contemplate deeper questions like what governments should and shouldn't be able to do and how do you keep your integrity in the midst of compromising situations. The language is relatively easy; the concepts presented are the challenge.