Over the weekend the highly-anticipated third Hunger Games movie, “Mockingjay Part 1,” was released with unsurprising box-office success. The movie continues the story of heroine Katniss Everdeen as she navigates through a mass rebellion against The Capitol of Panem, and sets the stage for the final film.
Whether you’ve read the Hunger Games books or enjoyed the movies, JMRL Reference Librarian Hayley Tompkins suggests reading one of these titles from JMRL’s collection:
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines – In Massachusetts, eighteen-year-old Lyn, who has grown up in the public eye as the daughter of seven gladiators, wants nothing less than to follow her mother’s path, but her only way of avoiding marriage to the warrior who killed her last stepfather may be to face him in the arena.
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau – Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing.
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – Sixteen-year-old Ruby breaks out of a government-run “rehabilitation camp” for teens who acquired dangerous powers after surviving a virus that wiped out most American children.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey – A first entry in a new series by the award-winning author of The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp follows the experiences of two survivors of apocalyptic disasters that have decimated life on Earth and transformed nearly everyone into crazed killers.
Legend by Marie Lu – In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.
Ashfall by Mike Mullen – After the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano destroys his city and its surroundings, Alex must journey from Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Illinois to find his parents and sister, trying to survive in a new society.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman – In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives “unwound” and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to survive until they turn eighteen.
For more suggestions, JMRL Reference Librarian Erica Younglove recommends checking out this infographic from the Lawrence Public Library.