Keira Gillett Author

Fierce Middle Grade Fantasy Reads

catching fire

76 Books to Read if You Love the Hunger Games

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If you haven’t read the Hunger Games you really should! They’re pretty awesome. Check them out:

If you’re already a fan of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins…

You should add these books to your to be read pile!

(The recommendations are in no particular order.)

Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie

In a world where Officials pick your perfect mate, what happens when you’ve two choices?

  1. Matched
  2. Crossed
  3. Reached

Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

A boy wakes up in a Glade with other boys knowing only his name, not how he got there, or how to escape the enclosed walls.

  1. The Kill Order (novella)
  2. The Maze Runner
  3. The Scorch Trials
  4. The Death Cure

Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry

A young boy is given the job to retain the Community’s memories and to advise them using that knowledge, but he doesn’t like what he sees when he knows the past.

  1. The Giver
  2. Gathering Blue
  3. Messenger
  4. Son

Books of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

A city of light amidst the darkness begins to go black and survival means finding a way out by going through the unknown.

  1. The City of Ember
  2. The People of Sparks
  3. The Prophet of Yonwood
  4. The Diamond of Darkhold

Uglies Quartet by Scott Westerfeld

When you turn 16 you can get a license to become Pretty and live in paradise, but one girl’s license is in jeopardy when her friend runs away. If she doesn’t find her and bring her back both are doomed to be Ugly for life.

  1. Uglies
  2. Pretties
  3. Specials
  4. Extras

Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass

One girl must compete against 34 other girls and get selected to marry a prince on live television, but what if she doesn’t want to marry him?

  1. The Selection
  2. The Prince (novella)
  3. The Elite
  4. The One
  5. The Prince (novella)
  6. The Guard (novella)

Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh M. O’Brien

You either live in the Enclave or you don’t. A portion of the poor outside the walls are advanced into the Enclave as infants. It is considered a privilege for your child to be selected, but our heroine isn’t so sure that’s the truth when her parents are arrested.

  1. Birthmarked
  2. Tortured (novella)
  3. Prized
  4. Promised

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

A girl’s results for the Affinity Exam show that she is Divergent, which means she can pick where she wants to go of the five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, and Dauntless. But can she define herself in only one way?

  1. Divergent
  2. Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story (novella)
  3. Insurgent
  4. Allegiant

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

A girl sees something nobody else can see and is pulled into a world of demons and demon hunters.

  1. City of Bones
  2. City of Ashes
  3. City of Glass
  4. City of Fallen Angels
  5. City of Lost Souls
  6. City of Heavenly Fire

Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card

A young boy is taught to battle aliens and climbs the ranks at his intergalactic boarding school.

(As a note, reading order and publishing order are different. I’ve included Ender’s Saga and Ender’s Shadow series in the list below. Author’s comments on reading order are here.)

  1. First Meetings in Ender’s Universe
  2. Ender’s Shadow
  3. A War of Gifts
  4. Ender’s Game – Movie coming to theaters in November 2013
  5. Ender in Exile
  6. Shadow of the Hegemon
  7. Shadow Puppets
  8. Shadow of the Giant
  9. Shadows in Flight
  10. Speaker for the Dead
  11. Xenocide
  12. Children of the Mind

Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae Carson

She was surrounded at birth by light and marked as the Chosen One destined to fulfill a prophecy. But can a failure of a princess ever hope to meet such a daunting task?

  1. The Girl of Fire and Thorns
  2. The Crown of Embers
  3. The Bitter Kingdom

Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

The government demands that everyone on their 18th birthday get the cure to eradicate love from their system, but 95 days before turning 18 Lena falls in love and that changes everything.

  1. Delirium
  2. Hana (novella)
  3. Pandemonium
  4. Requiem

Last Survivors Trilogy by Susan Beth Pfeffer

A meteor knocks the moon closer to Earth and drastic climate changes occur leaving few left to navigate their new world.

  1. Life As We Knew It
  2. The Dead and the Gone
  3. This World We Live In

Cold Awakening Trilogy by Robin Wasserman

A girl wakes up from a car crash and realizes she’s been downloaded into a new body made of wires, circuits, and synthetic skin. She doesn’t recognize herself anymore and apparently nobody else does either.

  1. Skinned
  2. Crashed
  3. Wired

Across the Universe Trilogy by Beth Revis

A girl wakes up from a cryopreservation (frozen sleep) onboard a spaceship 50 years before they reach their destination and must discover her would-be murderer before he succeeds and targets her parents.

  1. Across the Universe
  2. A Million Suns
  3. Shades of Earth

Bar Code Trilogy by Suzanne Weyn

Everyone over the age of 17 must get a bar code tattoo, according to a new conglomerate in America pushing this law through. The bar code holds everything about your identity, but it’s also a lot more sinister than the convenient Google Wallet.

  1. The Bar Code Tattoo
  2. The Bar Code Rebellion
  3. The Bar Code Prophecy

Stand Alones:

  1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
  2. Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
  3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  4. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
  5. Anthem by Ayn Rand
  6. Lord of the Flies by Willian Golding

What other books do you suggest?

Don’t leave without checking out: 12 Ways to Gear-up for a Catching Fire (Hunger Games) Party!

12 Ways to Gear-up for a Catching Fire (Hunger Games) Party!

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Who is excited for the release of Catching Fire this November? I know I am and I’ve been thinking about some party ideas for the big night. What’s so great about Hunger Games is, that like Harry Potter, there is a lot of inspiration to pull from the books. Here’s what I’ve come up with for a fabulous night you won’t soon forget:

  1. 12 Trials Obstacle Course – Catching Fire features an arena with rotating trials that appear hourly, around the clock. I propose for the big event that you gear-up and prepare a timed race with 12 trials. The person with the best time could win a prize (popcorn at the movies?). I have eight ready for you based on the book (these are not in the order of the appearance on the clock dial):
    • Blood Rain (CF, pg. 332) – Dodge a hail storm of red water balloons. They could be filled with colored water.
    • Mutated Monkeys (CF, pg. 332) – Climb something… a tree?
    • Acid Fog (CF, pg. 332) – Cover your eyes with something then attempt to run through a blanket maze.
    • Jabber Jays (CF, pg. 348) – Mimic someone convincingly. Just don’t be mean! I would try imitating the characters first.
    • Big Wave (CF, pg. 325) – Jump in the pool and make the biggest splash! All pool safety rules apply.
    • Beast (CF, pg. 348) – Face down a vicious beast (somebody’s pet dog) and make it play dead.
    • Pincher Insects (CF, pg. 364) – Crab walk around an obstacle.
    • Lighting/Electricity Surge (CF, pg. 332) – Race from Point A to Point B as fast as you can. Timed, of course.
  2. Lawn Sports – Any good Hunger Games or Catching Fire party should host lawn sports. Include archery, corn hole, lasso golf, and egg tosses (or water balloon tosses). The more adventurous could include… skeet shooting.
  3. Party on the Water – The arena for Catching Fire begins on the water, so why not start your partying there too? Rent a boat and cruise for a bit before locating a great area to anchor. Bring swim suits and fishing gear. You can even practice your archery with bowfishing!
  4. Rock Climbing Gym – Host your Catching Fire party at a rock climbing gym. Challenge each other to do more and more difficult routes, timed climbs, and then chomp down on pizza when you get ravenous.
  5. Go Capitol – Plan a Capitol-size makeover party. Buy the fun spray-on hair color (that washes out) and get white face paint or white powder foundation and see who can look the most Capitol. (Super cool parents might allow you to buy the permanent version of the hair colors, but get permission first!) Host a runway show and model your Capitol look. Take lots of photos! A prize could go to the best costume.
  6. Capitol Feast – Make your Catching Fire Capitol party a potluck, and encourage your friends to bring their most scrumptious dishes (just don’t go to the vomitorium to make room for it all, okay, that’s not cool.)
  7. Camp Out – Plan your Hunger Games party in the woods. Camp out in style or rough it. I think Peeta (and Katniss) would appreciate the s’mores don’t you? Make your camping party even more fun by combining it with different ideas on this list!
  8. Play Survivor Games – You can go wrong with classics like Manhunt, flashlight/freeze tag, Nerf war, hide and go seek in the dark, etc.
  9. Paintball Party – Plan a paintball party with your friends, either on teams or every-man for himself. Who’s got the best aim? Go to the movies in your war paint – it’s an almost Capitol look, don’t you think? See number five more ideas to complete the ensemble.
  10. Scavenger Hunt – Whether you have to hunt and scavenge for your campsite (see idea 7) or simply find Hunger Games and Catching Fire related clues on your way to the movies, this would be a great idea for a large party. You can break up into teams and have a blast running around! Who knows the most about the book series?
  11. Laser Tag – Go to a local thrill park and play a round of laser tag (perfect for that high-tech fancy look the movies go for with the tributes’ outfits). It’s way less messy (and painful) then paintball. But just as fun!
  12. Fencing/Mock-fighting – Duel it out, mano-a-mano. Get 24 tributes, I mean friends, together and plan a fencing championship. See just who will rise to the top and be the Champion! En Garde!

Most of all, just have fun getting ready for the next Hunger Games movie! See you at the movies!

Get your Catching Fire gear here!

Don’t leave without checking out: 76 Books to Read if You Love the Hunger Games