THE HUNGER GAMES begin on March 23 – The World Will Be Watching!

Thirty eight more days until The Hunger Games movie is here!! Pie and I are so very excited to go see this movie together. I think this is the first book {series} that we have both read and absolutely loved so much that we’re going to go see the film! Pie is trying very hard to convince me to take her to the midnight showing but I’m not sure if I want to brave driving into Erie in the dark and facing a huge crowd, we’ll see. I do know that even if we don’t make it to the midnight showing, we will be there at some point during the day on March 23rd! 

SO EXCITED! Really! I read The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay last year after hearing about them from some of my Jazzercise classmates. I couldn’t put them down and read them non-stop until I was finished. Pie was interested after one of her friends started talking about the books so I bought the set for her and she too was entranced by the story and read all three books within just a week or so.

Heartbreaking, exciting, painful, soul wrenching, thought provoking — these are all words I would use to describe the feelings you might go through when you read Suzanne Collins’ best selling trilogy. I know that I had both tears of sadness and joy at times. My daughter and I are so ready for this movie! 

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock and have no idea what The Hunger Games are all about (hey, there are only 16 million copies in the USA alone!), you can head over to the The Hunger Games Movie Facebook Page and read the first two chapters of Suzanne Collins’ book by clicking on the ‘read the book’ tab. I just know you’ll have to keep reading so check out The Hunger Games trilogy on Amazon.com, you MUST read the books before seeing the movie!

About THE HUNGER GAMES

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which Tributes? must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against  humanity and life against love.

THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobsons Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.

I’m also very excited about the cast of characters. Most of the ones I have seen so far are seem to be a good fit, we should be able to connect well with them. Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, looks almost exactly like I would have imagined him to while Gale, played by Liam Hemsworth is not quite what I was expecting. I’m interested to see how the characters develop. 

I remember seeing Jennifer Lawrence,  who plays Katniss Everdeen, in a couple of episodes of one of my favorite TV shows, Medium. I think she is a wonderful choice to portray the strong character of Katniss. There are several other familiar names in the film, including Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Donald Sutherland as President Snow and Lenny Kravitz who plays Cinna — very interesting indeed!

The Hunger Games trilogy is truly a series of books that the whole family can enjoy. The story line is one that is completely believable. Would it be possible for our world to be ruled by such a force as the evil Capitol? A scary thought, but one that doesn’t seem all that far fetched these days.

I think I need to reread the books one more time before the movie comes out!

Whether or not you and your family read the books before or after the movie, they are sure to raise questions and ignite conversations about the differences and similarities between Panem and our world today. The Hunger Games trilogy discussion guide and The Hunger Games reading group guide by Scholastic can help your family delve deeper into their thoughts and feelings about the book and create a wonderful way to get the conversation started!

The Movie will be here on March 23rd but you can reserve your seat at the games by purchasing your tickets on February 22nd, when they go on sale. The Official Facebook page of  The Hunger Games has a reminder you can send to yourself so you don’t forget! 

p.s. It also has the JUST RELEASED music video of Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound,” featuring The Civil Wars, posted on it! Love it! 

If you’re like Pie and I, you’ll want to keep up with the latest Hunger Games news and events on the Lionsgate Movies Official Twitter page. The Hunger Games website also has a wealth of information, activities, photos, cast and crew info and so much more. I CANNOT WAIT!! Are you as excited as we are?