Mockingjay (Hunger Games Series #3)

by Suzanne Collins

Overview

The third book in Suzanne Collins's phenomenal and worldwide bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.

The final book in Suzanne Collins's worldwide bestselling Hunger Games trilogy is now available in paperback."My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Though she's long been a part of the revolution, Katniss hasn't known it. Now it seems that everyone has had a hand in the carefully laid plans but her.The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the cost.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545663267
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/25/2014
Series:	Hunger Games
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	4,151
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Suzanne Collins is the author of the bestselling Underland Chronicles series, which started with Gregor the Overlander. Her groundbreaking young adult novels, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, were New York Times bestsellers, received wide praise, and were the basis for four popular films. She returned to the world of Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Year of the Jungle, her picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Vietnam, was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim. To date, her books have been published in fifty-three languages around the world.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Mockingjay:
#1 USA Today Bestseller
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
#1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2010
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
A 2010 Booklist Editors' Choice
A 2010 Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010
“Fans will be happy to hear that Mockingjay is every bit as complex and imaginative as Hunger Games and Catching Fire."
-Entertainment Weekly
“Suspenseful... Collins' fans, grown-ups included, will race to the end."
-USA Today
“At its best the trilogy channels the political passion of 1984, the memorable violence of A Clockwork Orange, the imaginative ambience of The Chronicles of Narnia and the detailed inventiveness of Harry Potter."
-New York Times Book Review
“Unfolding in Collins' engaging, intelligent prose and assembled into chapters that end with didn't-see-that-coming cliffhangers, this finale is every bit the pressure cooker of its forebears. [Mockingjay] is nearly as shocking, and certainly every bit as original and thought provoking, as The Hunger Games. Wow."
-Los Angeles Times
* “This concluding volume in Collins's Hunger Games trilogy accomplishes a rare feat, the last installment being the best yet, a beautifully orchestrated and intelligent novel that succeeds on every level."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

Mockingjay is not as impeccably plotted as The Hunger Games, but none­theless retains its fierce, chilly fascination. At its best the trilogy channels the political passion of 1984, the memorable violence of A Clockwork Orange, the imaginative ambience of The Chronicles of Narnia and the detailed inventiveness of Harry Potter. The specifics of the dystopian universe, and the fabulous pacing of the complicated plot, give the books their strange, dark charisma.
—The New York Times

Katie Roiphe

Nothing is black or white in this gripping, complex tale, including the angry, self-doubting heroine…This dystopic-fantasy series, which began in 2008, has had such tremendous crossover appeal that teens and parents may discover themselves vying for—and talking about—the family copy of Mockingjay. And there's much to talk about because this powerful novel pierces cheery complacency like a Katniss-launched arrow.
—The Washington Post

Mary Quattlebaum

This concluding volume in Collins's Hunger Games trilogy accomplishes a rare feat, the last installment being the best yet, a beautifully orchestrated and intelligent novel that succeeds on every level. At the end of Catching Fire, Katniss had been dramatically rescued from the Quarter Quell games; her fellow tribute, Peeta, has presumably been taken prisoner by the Capitol. Now the rebels in District 13 want Katniss (who again narrates) to be the face of the revolution, a propaganda role she's reluctant to play. One of Collins's many achievements is skillfully showing how effective such a poster girl can be, with a scene in which Katniss visits the wounded, cameras rolling to capture (and retransmit) her genuine outrage at the way in which war victimizes even the noncombatants. Beyond the sharp social commentary and the nifty world building, there's a plot that doesn't quit: nearly every chapter ends in a reversal-of-fortune cliffhanger. Readers get to know characters better, including Katniss's sister and mother, and Plutarch Heavensbee, former Head Gamemaker, now rebel filmmaker, directing the circus he hopes will bring down the government, a coup possible precisely because the Capitol's residents are too pampered to mount a defense. "In return for full bellies and entertainment," he tells Katniss, explaining the Latin phrase panem et circenses, "people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their power." Finally, there is the romantic intrigue involving Katniss, Peeta and Gale, which comes to a resolution that, while it will break some hearts, feels right. In short, there's something here for nearly every reader, all of it completely engrossing. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up—The final installment of Suzanne Collins's trilogy sets Katniss in one more Hunger Game, but this time it is for world control. While it is a clever twist on the original plot, it means that there is less focus on the individual characters and more on political intrigue and large scale destruction. That said, Carolyn McCormick continues to breathe life into a less vibrant Katniss by showing her despair both at those she feels responsible for killing and and at her own motives and choices. This is an older, wiser, sadder, and very reluctant heroine, torn between revenge and compassion. McCormick captures these conflicts by changing the pitch and pacing of Katniss's voice. Katniss is both a pawn of the rebels and the victim of President Snow, who uses Peeta to try to control Katniss. Peeta's struggles are well evidenced in his voice, which goes from rage to puzzlement to an unsure return to sweetness. McCormick also makes the secondary characters—some malevolent, others benevolent, and many confused—very real with distinct voices and agendas/concerns. She acts like an outside chronicler in giving listeners just "the facts" but also respects the individuality and unique challenges of each of the main characters. A successful completion of a monumental series.—Edith Ching, University of Maryland, College Park

School Library Journal

Scarlett O'Hara. Jo March. Jane Eyre. These classic fictional heroines embody female strength and courage. Now add Katniss Everdeen to that list. The teenage survivor of the annually televised "Hunger Games" and the even harsher survivors' reunion, the Quarter Quell, has become the poster child for a rebellion exploding across Panem, her dystopian world. Katniss finds herself caught up in the revolution, unsure whom she can trust. Narrator Carolyn McCormick is back for this third installment, and her cool, clear voice is perfect for the hard-edged Katniss. McCormick has a wholly grown-up voice, but then Katniss is forced to act the grown-up, more deadly and capable than most adults. The narrator's voice here is sometimes plaintive, sometimes matter-of-fact, but always compelling, and often thrilling. M.M.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile