The Hunger Games is the first book in the bestselling series by Suzanne Collins. Set in a future where North America has fallen into ruins, the story unfolds in the nation of Panem. This nation has a powerful Capitol that is surrounded by twelve impoverished districts. The Capitol uses fear to control the districts, requiring each to send a boy and a girl, aged twelve to eighteen, to compete in the Hunger Games. These games are a brutal fight to the death broadcasted on live television. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen finds herself in a dire situation when she volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the games. Facing death head-on, Katniss has fought to survive before, and it is instinct for her. As she navigates the deadly competition, she becomes more than just a contestant. She must make tough decisions that balance her will to survive with her sense of humanity, exploring the sharp divides between life and love, and the price of victory in a world where everything is at stake.