Thanks for stopping by! I'm Cori and I'm happy you've found your way here. If you're wondering why my blog is called "Let's Eat Grandpa," it's an old grammar joke: Let's eat, grandpa! Let's eat grandpa! (Punctuation saves lives.) 
Recommended by: my friends Brittney and Esther
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 8 out of 10
Synopsis: In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.
My review: Woah. I don’t read a lot of young adult fiction so I was a bit surprised with this one. It was really very engrossing and mildly terrifying. The idea of locking up 24 kids in a giant Bio-Dome style arena in a death match is disturbing. I thought that Collins handled the material deftly and made the characters very real. Their behavior (kill or be killed) was intense. I felt invested in the characters and hurt for them and cheered them on. The only thing I wish she’d delved more deeply into is the psychology of murder — some of the kills came so easily, and I can’t imagine this doesn’t mess up these kids for life. Then again, there are two more books in this series (the next, Catching Fire, is still “on order” from the library — come on! It was released a week ago!) so perhaps she’ll tackle those issues more in the later books. This was an intense book, but I definitely recommend it. (Finished 8/2/09)
