The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read the book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The story of the book takes place in the future of the United States. The states are now districts and they have a dictatorship type government. 

Katniss Everdeen is a young girl who takes her father’s place after he dies in a gold mine cave. After her father’s death, her mother falls into depression and that puts Katniss in charge of the house and responsible for the care of her younger sister, Prim. 

In total, there are twelve districts and two teenagers are chosen from each to participate in the annual games. They are chosen to defend themselves and defeat others in order to win the games. The prize of these games is money and food for their family. 

As the ceremony begins, everyone is in front of the stage were Effie Trinket, the leader, stands to pull the names of the chosen participants from the ballot box. Effie pulls the first name and it is Prim Everdeen. Prim is Katniss Everdeen's younger sister.  Katniss volunteers to take the place of her sister. 

After she volunteers, the second name is pulled and it is Peeta Mellark. Both of them are chosen and they are the participants to fight for their lives in the games. They have personal trainers who help them fight against others. Since they are new, they don’t know how to survive. Both are together and trying to survive for their lives. 

If you are interested in finding out if they survive these games alive, read The Hunger Games.

Kate C.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a science-fiction romance novel. This novel can be enjoyed by both girls and guys but I think it appeals more to girls, especially those who have been hurt by love. That is because Delirium is about a seventeen year old girl, Lena Haloway, who cannot wait to be cured of the disease, amour deliria nervosa, also known as love. 

The futuristic world in which Lena has perfected a cure takes away the ability to love and all that disease brings. The cure cannot be given though until the person is eighteen, leaving Lena to wait a horrible summer until she can get it. You see Lena change as a person as her final summer with the disease goes on. She goes from her normal goody two shoes personality to one of defiance and lies. This novel takes you through Lena and her friend Hana’s adventures of defying their government and falling in love with life and people. The government will not allow the disease to grow though, leaving Lena with very little choice of what to do. 

For those who ever wished love didn't exist, this book is for you. Delirium truly gives meaning to the phrase “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”

Quinn E.

Divergent by: Veronica Roth

I read the book Divergent and it is a dystopian fiction. If you have ever seen The Hunger Games movie then they are similar. This book is about Beatrice Prior who lives in the future city of Chicago and the town is divided into five factions; the honest, the brave, the selfless, the peaceful and the intelligent. At the age of 16 you must choose which faction in which to live. The story follows Beatrice who has to take a placement test to determine in which faction she can live. On testing day she learns she is known as something called divergent and that is something you do not want to be because it can get you killed. Beatrice chooses a new faction and we see all the trouble she goes through with leaving and moving her life somewhere else. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and will keep you guessing at every turn. In every chapter there is something you will not expect. This book has politics, romance, mystery and action. Divergent is a book that talks a lot about choices and how these choices affect one’s future and you need to be careful with the choices you make. I think you should read this book; first, before the movie comes out and second, because readers will like the story because it has a little bit of everything. This is a good book that won’t take you long to read and will keep you guessing.

Tyler J.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

As the man saw his child slowly disappear over the hill with his new care takers he began to fall asleep awaiting his death. The book, The Road, written by Cormac McCarthy is a story about a man and a boy’s journey across the American waste land. Throughout the story the man and the child faced multiple problems and issues. However, it seemed like they always found a way to deal with whatever problem faced them and kept trying to reach their goal. Rumor had it that on the west coast of the United States of America there was a human survival area after the entire world was destroyed by a massive fire. Knowing that, the man and the boy set out on their journey trying to reach the west coast in an attempt to find other people. The entire world is covered in inches of ash and food is scarce considering there is no animal or plant life left on the planet. About half way through the book the two main characters have a lot of ups and downs. For example, the man and the boy find a bunker loaded with food meant to last for months. Shortly after they left the bunker while they were bathing, someone stole their entire cart full of food and supplies leaving them with nothing. Luckily the man was able to track down the thief and take their belongings back or else they both would have died. As the story continues the two main characters make it into a small town where they could tell people had recently been around the area. As they were walking down the main street of the town the man is shot by a bow and arrow. The man and the boy managed to make it out of the town successfully but shortly after that the man drops and can’t continue on. As this was occurring, another surving family came along and helped the man and took care of the boy for the rest of the story. The theme of this book, from what I believe, is no matter how hard things get, never stop trying. The man and the boy faced several hardships along their attempted journey and they never gave up hope on making it to the west coast. Time and time again they ran into problems but every time they managed to find a solution to their problems. That is why I think this is the theme of this book.

Billy P.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I liked the book, Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins because not only was it the sequel to the Hunger Games but also because of how great the book was itself. I really like how the author is continuing the story. She adds greater twists and turns to this story making the games more challenging and crazy. She adds new characters; they seem interesting but you don't get to find out much about them but that was alright. The previous characters from the first book seem changed also but some changed for the better while others had a different side to them you would never have imagined. I really like this book because I was interested in the Hunger Games series when I first read it a couple of years ago. Finally, reading the second book just makes me want to dive into the third right away. I think other students who like adventure and twists would really enjoy this series. I really like the series and how the characters live in a different world than we. Everything they do is futuristic but there are also a lot of survival techniques from the past. This story has a great plot and great twists to keep it interesting. I would recommend anybody read these books.

Jenny N.

2014 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominees

The new Abraham Lincoln Award nominees have been announced and we are trying to get enough copies in the LRC as quickly as possible. If you are not familiar with the whole Abe Lincoln Award thing, check out our web page on the yearly award. Trust me, it's awesome.



Here is the whole list:

Across the universe by Beth Revis
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Daughter of smoke and bone by Lani Taylor
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Every day by  David Levithan
Everybody sees the ants by A.S. King
The fault in our stars by John Green
Five flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Hate list by Jennifer Brown
How to save a life by Sara Zarr
I hunt killers by Barry Lyga
Legend by Marie Lu
Marcelo in the real world by Francisco Stork
The night circus: a novel by  Erin Morgenstern
The Pregnancy project: a memoir by  Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer
Purple heart by Patricia McCormick
Ready player one by Ernest Cline
Room by Emma Donoghue
Shadow and bone by Leigh Bardugo
Stupid fast by Geoff Herbach
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

And here are some other ways of looking at the nominees:

If you liked The Hunger Games....
Across the universe by Beth Revis
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Legend by Marie Lu
Shadow and bone by Leigh Bardugo

If you like a little magic or little bit of the supernatural with your romance...
Daughter of smoke and bone by Lani Taylor
The night circus: a novel by  Erin Morgenstern

How about an element of mystery?
Across the universe by Beth Revis
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
I hunt killers by Barry Lyga

It could happen to you (or someone you know)...
Everybody sees the ants by A.S. King
The fault in our stars by John Green
Five flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Hate list by Jennifer Brown
How to save a life by Sara Zarr
The pregnancy project: a memoir by  Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer
Purple heart by Patricia McCormick
Stupid fast by Geoff Herbach
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Happening now in an alternate universe or in the future...
Across the universe by Beth Revis
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Daughter of smoke and bone by Lani Taylor
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Legend by Marie Lu
The night circus: a novel by  Erin Morgenstern
Ready player one by Ernest Cline
Shadow and bone by Leigh Bardugo

A dude's point of view...
Everybody sees the ants by A.S. King
I hunt killers by Barry Lyga
Purple heart by Patricia McCormick
Ready player one by Ernest Cline
Stupid fast by Geoff Herbach

A different point of view...
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Every day by  David Levithan
Five flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Marcelo in the real world by Francisco Stork
Room by Emma Donoghue

Most likely to make you think of Dexter or Hannibal Lecter...
I hunt killers by Barry Lyga

Most likely to make you laugh....
Stupid fast by Geoff Herbach

If you liked Thirteen Reasons Why...
The fault in our stars by John Green
Hate list by Jennifer Brown
How to save a life by Sara Zarr
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Max Brooks' World War Z

Max Brooks' World War Z is a horror, post-apocalyptic book. This book is not a zombie outburst but it is rather about how people experienced the Great Panic. The author interviews different people to find out what they were doing during the outburst. It is a document of the people who had changed the war and what they saw during the war. During the first battle in >the war in the United States, no matter how many times they bombed the undead they were still coming at them. Or near the end the U.N. decided to fight back to take back their home and had an all-out assault. When the soldiers are fighting to take back their home the civilians fight to survive. One group of people stayed at the rich person’s house shooting any undead who got close to the house. This is a very good book and I do recommend it. The only problem with the book is the person’s story is very interesting and you wonder what’s going to happen next and then it ends. It sometimes ends in the middle of the person’s story so that’s the only problem with the book.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The book, Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline is a great book overall. The main character must solve puzzles and outsmart other players and enemies in a virtual videogame world which has taken over the lives of many people in the real world. The inventor of the game passed away and left various puzzles and clues which will lead to all of his fortune in the real world and his power in the oasis. And that is a lot considering he was a billionaire.

Wade, the main character, is one of the best at pop culture from the 80's and the puzzles in the game are about that. While making friends and becoming famous along the way, he must fight against time because a large Imperialist Corporate company named the Sixerâs sponsors a team just to solve the puzzle and reach the prize. They do everything possible including cheating and even killing for it. As the contest goes on, Wade and his friends, who vowed never to help each other with the puzzles, team up. They have no other choice as the Sixerâs come dangerously close to solving it and taking over the oasis and all of the power and money earned by finishing the puzzles.

But, not on Wade's watch. He will do everything possible to stop them as he fights in a historic battle. Will he lose and have the Sixerâs take over or will he win and become the most rich and famous person in the world?

Mason A.

All These Things I've done by Gabrielle Zevin

This is a great book for anyone interested in dystopian societies. It follows the life of a young girl trying to run her abnormal family after both her parents die. She has to deal with the family and her own family. She ends up in trouble with the law and she experiences romance and heart break. I found this book so enjoyable I wasn’t able to put it down. There was always some struggle she had to get through so the book never got boring. I love books that keep the story moving. If a character is stuck on one issue for too long I get bored. This was a great book for me and a book I would highly recommend.

Victoria W.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read the Hunger Games and it was a fantastic book. I heard all this hype about it and I thought it was going to be nothing special. I assumed it would be just another book like Twilight or Harry Potter; a book that everyone thinks is amazing but is of no interest to me. Even with this in mind, I decided to give it a try. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. I read the entire book within a week and I can’t wait to read the 2nd and 3rd ones and also see the movie. I am hoping the movie does the book some justice and that none of the important details are left out.

Tyler S.

If You Liked Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Part 2)

You just finished the Hunger Games books or you can't seem to get a copy or you just saw the movie (or plan to) and you want more just like it. A few months ago, we posted a list of books that might help quiet that (ahem) hunger. But that wasn't enough!  Here are five more books that you might like if you enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy (or the movie).

F Condie,A
Condie, Allyson Braithwaite. Matched.  The Society is there to make the right choices for you—what to read, what to watch, what to believe, who to date. At least that is what Cassia always thought. At her Matching ceremony where the Society picks your ideal mate, she expects only one face to appear on the screen and it does…until a second one flashes right before the screen goes black. The Society tells her it is a rare malfunction, but she starts to doubt what she has always believed. She now faces an impossible choice: do what she has always been told or make her own choice who to love.

F Hautman,P
Hautman, Pete. Rash.  It's 2074 and the U.S. has become the United Safer States of America (USSA), a nation obsessed with safety. Football, football, guns, large dogs, chainsaws and whole bunch of other things are illegal. 16 year old Bo Marsten is accused of causing a rash that spreads to his whole high school. When he loses his temper over the incident, he is shipped off to a manual labor prison camp in the Arctic Circle that is surrounded by polar bears. Bork, an artificial intelligence program he created for a science project tracks him down and offers to get his 5 year sentence reduced, but can he trust him?

F Oliver,L
Oliver, Lauren. Delirium. With only 95 days before her 18th birthday when she would undergo the procedure to prevent it, Lena Haloway develops a deadly strain of amor deliria nervosa, otherwise known as love. She has learned all her life that love causes suffering, pain, impulsiveness, anxiety and other problems. The procedure is a cure that will prevent the disease from taking hold. When she meets Alex, one of the fugitive Invalids, a tribe of people that is uncured and lives a life of passion and freedom, she has choose between Alex and the wishes of her family.

F Smith,A
Smith, Alexander Gordon. Lockdown : Escape From Furnace. Alex Sawyer is put in Furnace Penitentiary for a crime he didn't commit. Furnace is the most secure prison for young offenders in the world. It is buried a mile underground and is ruled by sadistic guards and brutal inmates who might drag you off in the middle of the night only to have you return weirdly altered. Alex faces life without parole unless he can escape with the help of a group of kids, some who have also been framed and others cold blooded killers.

F Stiefvater,M
Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races.
Every November on the island of Thisby, the locals hold a deadly contest called the Scorpio Races. Contestants ride Capaill Uisce, man-eating water horses who rise from the autumn seas to terrorize the islanders. Some riders like Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick race to win or just to survive; others never make it to the finish line. Puck Connolly is the first girl ever to ride in the annual races. She is not prepared for what will happen next.

If You Liked Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

You just finished the Hunger Games books and you are itching for another cool story just like it. Well, you are in luck. Here are five books that you might like if you enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy.

F Roth,V  

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In the future, the world is divided into 5 groups, the members of which spend their lives cultivating a particular virtue--selflessness, honesty, intelligence, and peacefulness. Each 16 year old has to pick a group to which he or she will devote the rest of his or her life by enduring a series of extreme tests of physical endurance and intense psychological simulations. The system helps to create a "perfect" world for its inhabitants. For Beatrice Prior, it is her time to choose her path. She can choose to stay with her family or be true to who she really is--she can't do both.

F Dashner, J

Maze Runner by James Dashner

When Thomas wakes up in a giant dark elevator, he has no memory of his life before he woke up. He just knows his name is Thomas--or is it? The doors of the elevator suddenly open and he finds himself looking out on The Glade, a huge outdoor area surrounded by giant stone walls. A group of teenage boys just like him is waiting to greet him. The Glade is a giant maze from which nobody has escaped. Every 30 days a new boy arrives. When a girl arrives the next day, chaos ensues.

F Bacigalupi, P

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

In a world reeling from natural disasters and environmental destruction caused by human beings, we have almost run out of oil and the gap between the rich and poor has grown ever wider. In the Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are taken apart by crews of dirt poor teenagers called Ship Breakers. Nailer, a member of the light crew, scavenges for copper and other valuable materials so that he and his abusive, alcoholic dad can survive. One day, a hurricane causes a luxury ship to wreck on the shore near where Nailer lives. He and a friend are able to rescue the lone survivor, a beautiful, wealthy girl. Protecting her and reuniting her with her family could mean a new life for Nailer or unseen dangers that could cost him his life.

F Westerfeld,S

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

How do you create a world where there is always peace and harmony? Make everyone beautiful, of course! Tally Youngblood is about to reach her 16th birthday and she will finally get the operation that transforms all of the kids in her world from an Ugly into a Pretty. The operation uses cosmetic surgery to change your appearance to conform to an ideal standard of beauty. Tally is looking forward to the operation (as is every teenager) until she meets Shay, a fellow female Ugly who tells her about The Smoke, a colony of outsiders who have chosen to live without technology and who have refused to get the operation.

F Shusterman,N

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In the near future, a civil war has been fought between those who believe that abortion should be legal and those who think it should be illegal. The result? Abortion of newborns is illegal, but teenagers can be sent to Harvest Farms, where they can have their individual body parts taken and given to other people who need them--they are unwound. So if you get into trouble with the law, are an orphan, or are just unlucky enough, prepare for your unwinding.