Module Eight- Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins and The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Press, 2010.

Summary
In this final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss, despite surving the Hunger Games twice, is in serious trouble with the Capitol. The survivors of the District 12 massacre are safe in rebellious, underground District 13

Impressions
I think I'm the only person in the world who hates the Hunger Games series. I find Katniss to be completely obnoxious and aggravating, and I had to read this book twice to understand what was going on. All the action, plot twists, and many, many, many characters just make the story confusing instead of rich with intrigue. All the secondary and tertiary characters make it hard to understand who thinks and says what, who's who, and when they're killed off, I have a hard time remembering if I'm supposed to have liked them or not.
While I'll hand it to Collins that the first book was innovative and thought-provoking, since then Collins is just trying to push the boundaries of to be edgy and hip. I find the trilogy gratuitously violent, and quite frankly, disgusting. Additionally, Collins' style is choppy and hard to follow and her characters, even the protagonists are completely unlikeable.

Reviews
Corbett, Sue. People, 9/13/2010, Vol. 74 Issue 8, p69-69. Accessed 10 October 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

"It's an off-putting premise for a series aimed at teens: 24 kids fight for survival against nature and each other until only one is left alive. Oh, and it's all televised. That's the plot of Collins' hugely successful Hunger Games trilogy, but it doesn't do it justice. The first two books delivered nonstop action, a fully realized dystopian world and an acute rebuke of our media saturation and obsession with appearance. This final installment, the grimmest yet, is a riveting meditation on the costs of war.
The series' narrator is Katniss Everdeen, a "tribute," or contestant, in the annual ritual staged by the ruling despots in the Capitol. Against all odds, both Katniss and Peeta, another tribute, survive by posing as lovers, winning over the TV audience. Meanwhile there's a boy back home who is Katniss' real soulmate. In Mockingjay Katniss' outsmarting of the Capitol has fanned a rebellion, but she's a reluctant poster girl. Collins puts the reader right inside Katniss' head as she grows into the role, and it's a bloody, terrifying process. Clear your schedule before you start: This is a powerful, emotionally exhausting final volume."

Miller, Laura. New Yorker, 6/14/2010, Vol. 86 Issue 17, p132. Accessed 10 October 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

"Children...don't run the world, and teen-agers, especially, feel the sting of this. "The Hunger Games" could be taken as an indictment of reality TV, but only someone insensitive to the emotional tenor of the story could regard social criticism as the real point of Collins's novel. "The Hunger Games" is not an argument. It operates like a fable or a myth, a story in which outlandish and extravagant figures and events serve as conduits for universal experiences."

Suggestions for Library Use
This book belongs on the shelf with no fanfare, displays, or other attention. It is not good writing, it's not a good story, the characters are dull, secondary and tertiary characters are far too abundant and make the story confusing, the "romance" is bizarre, and the violence and drama are far too exagerrated. Any moral Collins is trying to convey gets overshadowed by the extreme bloodshed and general confusion.

Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. New York: Disney-Hyperion, 2006.

Summary
Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy Jackson is the prime suspect. Percy Jackson, however, is a junior high student that's about to be kicked out of yet another school for failing grades and bad behavoir. When mythical creatures start appearing in Percy's life, he realizes there's something about his past his mother hasn't told him. Percy is the son of Posiedon, god of the sea and brother of Zeus. Percy is immediately sent to Camp Half-Blood, a camp for children of Greek Gods and mortals, where he will be proctected. Meanwhile, Zeus has declared war if his lightning bolt is not returned by the summer solstice. With days to go, Percy and his friends decide to find and return the bolt themselves.

Impressions
This book is a lot like Harry Potter- a misunderstood hero, his super-smart gal pal, his faithful if not a tad clumsy buddy, all living in the real world yet being part of a fantasy, and saving everyone from destruction. The Greek Mythology introduced througout the story, however, really makes this book original and fun.
The characters are relatable, despite their immortal talents and abilities, and their banter is believeable. This book makes you feel as though it's possible to be an Olympian.

Reviews
Publishers Weekly, 8/1/2005, Vol. 252 Issue 30, p68-69. Accessed 12 October 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

"For this fast-paced adventure that zaps characters from Greek mythology into modern times, Bernstein gets the reading rhythm just right. He conveys Riordan's notes of humor, sarcasm and downright amazement in the voice of 12-year-old Percy Jackson, a smart kid who seems to be a magnet for trouble. But one day Percy discovers that being kicked out of a different school every year and dealing with learning challenges like ADHD is nothing compared to the truth of his life: he's a demigod, the son of Poseidon. Of course, among other things, that means an action-packed mission to the Underworld to find Zeus's stolen lightning bolt and return it to Mount Olympus (specially accessed as the 600th floor in the Empire State Building). Listeners will be hanging on every zippy chapter here and will be eager to find out where Percy heads next in this planned series."

Goldsmith, Francisca; Mandell, Phyllis Levy. School Library Journal, Oct2005, Vol. 51 Issue 10, p79. Accessed 12 October 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.

"At the outset of this fast-paced tale by Rick Riordan , it would seem that Percy Jackson is just another New York kid diagnosed with ADHD, who has good intentions, a nasty stepfather, and a long line of schools that have rejected him. The revelation of his status as half-blood offspring of one of the Greek gods is nicely packaged, and it's easy to believe that Mount Olympus, in modern times, has migrated to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building (the center of Western civilization) while the door to Hades can be found at DOA Recording Studio, somewhere in LA. With his new friends, a disguised satyr, and the half-blood daughter of Athena, Percy sets out across the country to rectify a feud between Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Along the way they must cope with the Furies, Medusa, motorcycle thug Aires, and various other immortals. Mythology fans will love this take and kids who haven't been inculcated with the Classical canon will learn aspects of it here while having no trouble following a rollicking good--and modern--adventure."

Suggestions for Library Use
This book is a great example of fantasy for ages 11+. It would appeal to both boys and girls, but should be marketed to boys because of the male narrator and strong male protagonists. Also, many of the antagonists (Medusa, etc.) are women. This would make a fun Guys Read book. Or as a reading incentive program, if a child completed the book, they could get to watch the movie version.