Mockingjay

Written by: Suzanne Collins

First line: I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather.

Why you should read this book: After surviving an unprecedented two Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is scarred, physically and mentally, still reeling from a concussion, and no more free as a rebel than she was as a resident of District Twelve. Now that she understands the nature of the game that's still being played even outside the arena, she recognizes that everyone wants her as a pawn, and she's determined not to be manipulated. Who will she trust, who will she betray, and, ultimately, who will she love?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've met the new boss and determined that s/he is the same as the old boss.

Catching Fire

Written by: Suzanne Collins

First line: I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea bag has long since leached into the frozen air.

Why you should read this book: Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games, but they realize they can never relax or enjoy the luxurious lifestyle their victory should afford them. Katniss's subtle acts of rebellion have fueled uprisings all over the districts, and the presidents holds her personally accountable for the dissent. The Capitol will never allow her to live her own life, but will remind her, at every turn, that she, and everyone she knows, is subject to the whims of a hard-hearted government that encourages unfeeling citizens to look upon her survival as fodder for the world's greatest entertainment.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You will tolerate no acts of treason.

The Hunger Games

Written by: Suzanne Collins

First line: When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.

Why you should read this book: In a horrifying speculative future, most of what was once North America lives in terror of the tribute owed to their Capitol; every year, two dozen children are sent to battle to the death for the amusement of the empire and to remind those at the lowest echelon of society the deadly price of defiance. Katniss Everdeen, whose black market hunting and gathering business has kept her family alive for years, is no stranger to extreme survival, but when she takes her sister's place in the Hunger Games, she has no doubt that her own death is imminent. An exciting, bloody, and fast-paced page turner of a novel, complete with deep questions about liberty and responsibility.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Extreme, graphic, kid-on-kid violence.