What happens in The Hunger Games?

Answer 1

I'm not going to give away the whole book, but basically, The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian (opposite of utopian) futuristic world called Panem. Since this book is set far into the future, Panem was actually America, and the scary part about that is that apparently America was destroyed in a wars, and floods and fires and out of the dust came Pamen. Panem was divided up into 13 districts, each district made or produced a material for the Capitol (sort of like the government). Then, the Districts began rebelling against the Capitol and their was a whole massive war, but they got crushed eventually, District 13 was destroyed as an example to the rest of the Districts not to cross them again. From this war the Capitol created the Hunger Games and the Reaping. This is where the book begins, 74 years later. Katniss Everdeen belongs to District 12, coal miners. She has a little sister called Primrose (Prim) who she loves more than anything. Her father died in a coal mining accident when she was 11. She is now 16, a hunter. She illegally goes over the District fence to hunt and feed her family. District 12 is the smallest and poorest District. Almost everyone breaks a rule at one time there, but only Katniss and her best friend Gale Hawthore, dare to cross the fence. The fact that Katniss is an excellent archer plays an important role in the book. The book begins on the day of the Reaping. This is the day when every single person is forced to the town square to see the children who will be made to play in the Hunger Games be chosen. The Hunger Games are a cruel and violent reality TV show that all districts must send two 12-18 year olds to compete in. One boy and one girl. Then they are forced to watch them play. To the capitol though, they are nothing more than festivities. In the arena where the games take place the only rule is kill or be killed. Whoever is left standing at the end is the winner. Katniss and her sister (12) are put into roped off sections according to age. Oh, there's something I forgot to mention. In the reaping the older you get the more times your name is put into the big glass ball with all the districts childrens' names of your gender are put in. So when you are 12 your name goes in once, 13, twice so on, BUT if you are poor and starving (like most of 12) you can add your name more than once in exchange for tesserae (grain and oil). You can do this for all members of your family. So if Katniss put her name in once because she had to, and three more times for her, her sister, and her mother. Now that she is 16 her name would be in 20 times. Prim's, being 12 and forbidden by Katniss to get tesserae, name is in only once. Of course, I'm sure you can guess what happens. Prims name gets chosen. Katniss volunteers for her sister, rather letting herself die than her sister, and has to go into the games. Peeta Mellark (the baker's son) is the boy picked to go in. Now this is where it gets interesting. I am not going to say any more because I would then spoil the book for you. Sorry!