Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. Scholastic Press, 2010. 400 pages. ISBN-10: 0439023513. ISBN-13: 978-0439023511.Plot:
When the novel opens, Katniss Everdeen is living in the secret District 13 with the rebels who rescued her from her second Hunger Games competition. Though she is with her family and Gale, she was forced to leave Peeta behind and suspects he is probably dead or worse. Katniss was rescued because the rebels would like her to be the Mockingjay, the symbol of their revolution. After discovering that Peeta is alive and being used by the Capitol, she agrees to help, but only if they fulfill some of her conditions, including that she wants to be the one to kill President Snow. The rebels agree and stage a rescue of Peeta, only to discover that the Capitol has engineered his brain to hate Katniss. Though the rebels try to rewire him, he is a loose cannon as he, Katniss, and the rebels rally the other districts and head into battle in the Capitol. Everything goes wrong, however, and her group is stranded in the hostile Capitol trying to get close enough to President Snow in order to kill him. As they reach Snow‘s mansion, they discover it is surrounded by children and rebels, including Prim, Katniss’s sister. Bombs begin to go off and Prim is killed as the Capitol falls to the rebels. Snow is found guilty and sentenced to be executed by Katniss. Before this can occur, however, Katniss learns some horrifying things about the night of the bombing and the role she and her friends played in the rebellion.
Critical Evaluation:
This final book in the trilogy was one of the most anticipated books of the year and it didn’t disappoint. Collins weaving of Katniss’s personal story with the story of the rebellion personalizes war and its consequences in a way that few young adult novels do. She doesn’t sugarcoat the story and doesn’t hesitate to show the horror and violence that accompanies the rebellion. Though the book is violent, the violence isn’t gratuitous. It’s evident that Collins gave careful consideration to the descriptions she included. The violence isn’t there to entertain, but rather to show the horror, corruption, and dehumanization of the rebellion. Collins continues the question she introduced in the origin of the trilogy, that of whether the end can truly justify the means. However, this time the reader is forced to apply that question to both sides rather than just the Capitol’s tactics. It’s a complicated moral issue that she handles in thoughtful and emotional way.
Katniss has the strength of a warrior, but vulnerability that reminds the reader she is a child who has been thrust unwillingly into this situation. She makes mistakes and she doesn’t always do the right thing, but she is always doing what she thinks is right. She learns more about trust and betrayal than one would hope someone her age should have to. Katniss is a character the readers can respect. In Katniss, and Mockingjay in general, Collins has created something that the reader can find both captivating and thought-provoking.
Reader's Annotation:
After years of abuse by the capital, the districts have had enough and they’re fighting back. Katniss is lynchpin in the rebels’ plan, but is she really ready to be the Mockingjay?
Author Information:
Growing up, Suzanne Collins’s father was in the Air Force, so she moved all around the country. She has said that doing so made her aware of what it felt like to be a stranger somewhere, much like the main character in The Underland Chronicles. She attended New York University and received an M.F.A in dramatic writing. She spent 16 years living in New York, but now resides in Connecticut with her husband and children.
Before becoming an author, she worked as a writer for children’s television. She’s written for shows on Nickleodeon and Kids’ WB as well as several specials. After working in television for 12 years, she published her first novel for young adults, Gregor the Overlander, the first of The Underland Chronicles series. Since then she has published 8 more novels. Her books have won numerous awards and topped the New York Times Bestseller list. She was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010.
Genre:
Science Fiction
Curriculum Ties:
Government/History: War and Rebellion, What is Freedom?
English: Plot Development, Symbolism, Character Development
Ethics/Philosophy: Ethics of War, Does the end justify the means?
Booktalking Ideas:
- Focus on where each of the characters are at the beginning of the story.
- Discuss the choice Katniss must make between Peeta and Gale.
- Give an overview of Katniss’s journey so far and ask where she will be going next.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
14 and older
Challenge Issues:
Violence
Anti-government
Challenge Defense Ideas:
- Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
- If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
- Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
- Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.
Reasons for Selection:
It is the much anticipated finale to the popular Hunger Games trilogy.
