Unless you’ve been living in a cave or under a rock, you’ve doubtless heard words like “tribute,” “arena,” or “Katniss,” swirling around your circle of friends. This is because The Hunger Games sensation has begun sweeping the nation. It seems that everywhere you look, someone is plowing through a copy of one the books in Suzanne Collins’s fiction trilogy. People of all ages and interests have found something to connect with in this tale which encompasses friendship, love, freedom, and survival.

The Hunger Games is truly a dystopian work, as it presents circumstances that readers today can barely fathom. It is spooky to imagine that the ground on which we currently stand could someday foster the Arena: a purposefully designed stadium in which twenty-four children are forced to fight to the death. In a world where children’s lives are precious and protected, this concept is mind-blowing. The Hunger Games is ultimately a precautionary tale which warns against undervaluing human life. Never should someone’s life be considered a worthy trade for voicing a political message, and never should children’s lives be the price paid for a government to retain control. These are the principles which Katniss, the heroine of the trilogy, fights to protect. While The Hunger Games is the most extreme scenario of such dangers, it is a worthwhile consideration for members of a world where war is normal and murder on the news is typical. Collins’s novels successfully exemplify her view that the sanctity of human life is worth fighting to protect.

On a lighter note, The Hunger Games is also home to an engaging love story. Giving everyone deja vu of the Team Edward or Team Jacob debate, it seems that everyone is now asking the question: Peeta or Gale? While a love triangle is present throughout the three novels, it is merely a side story to the main event. Collins took a risk by having such a consuming love story woven throughout plot of her serious tale, but she managed it well. Katniss, while conflicted with love, never lets herself be defined by a man or loses sight of the gravity of her situation. She remains a strong and brave individual, focused far more on her cause than her relationship status. Peeta and Gale, too, act as worthy role models for young people. Each retains their own character and will, rather than allowing their story to be defined by the pursuit of a girl’s affections. Gale teaches lessons of bravery and family responsibility, while Peeta tugs at readers’ heartstrings as he teaches lessons of true selflessness, compassion, and love. In reading The Hunger Games, young people find inspiration and assurance that love and individual strength of character can in fact go hand in hand.

Attending an all-girls school where students are urged to become women with vision, The Hunger Games is a more-than-pertinent read. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is a strong young woman who takes her fate into her own hands in a world where such behavior is far from the norm. This begins the moment she volunteers to participate in the deadly annual Hunger Games in the place of her little sister, Prim. The selfless act, of offering her own life in the place of her sister’s, wins the hearts of readers and sets Katniss on track to become a true heroine. While she receives help along every step of the way, Katniss ultimately fights tooth and nail to ensure justice in an unjust world. By the end of the trilogy, Katniss will have readers on their feet, cheering for “the girl on fire.” The Hunger Games books have lit a spark, which has ignited into a full-fledged inferno.