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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Based on the first novel of Suzanne Collins best selling The Hunger Games trilogy. In the ruins of what was once North America, twelve remaining districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, televised for all to see. 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen becomes a contender in the Games in order to save her little sister from having to compete. Only one of the 24 contenders can survive. To win the Games and return home, Katniss must make choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. AMAZON.COM Building on her performance as a take-no-prisoners teenager in Winters Bone, Jennifer Lawrence portrays heroine Katniss Everdeen in Gary Rosss action-oriented adaptation of author-screenwriter Suzanne Collinss young adult bestseller. Set in a dystopian future in which the income gap is greater than ever, 24 underprivileged youth fight to the death every year in a televised spectacle designed to entertain the rich and give the poor enough hope to quell any further unrest--but not too much, warns Panem president Snow (Donald Sutherland) , because that would be "dangerous." Hailing from the same mining town, 16-year-olds Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right) represent District 12 with the help of escort Effie (an unrecognizable Elizabeth Banks) and mentor Haymitch (a scene-stealing Woody Harrelson) . At first theyre adversaries, but a wary partnership eventually develops, though the rules stipulate that only one contestant can win. For those who havent read the book, the conclusion is likely to come as a surprise. Before it arrives, Ross (Pleasantville) depicts a society in which the Haves appear to have stepped out of a Dr. Seuss book and the Have-Nots look like refugees from the WPA photographs of Walker Evans. Its an odd mix, made odder still by frenetic fight scenes where its hard to tell whos doing what to whom. Fortunately, Lawrence and Hutcherson prove a sympathetic match in this crazy, mixed-up combination of Survivor, Lost, and the collected works of George Orwell. --Kathleen C. Fennessy SYNOPSIS Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the 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. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sisters place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when shes pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If shes ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. ABOUT THE AUTHOR SUZANNE COLLINS first made her mark in childrens literature with the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles for middle grade readers. Her debut for readers aged 12 and up, The Hunger Games was an instant bestseller, appealing to both teen readers and adults. It has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 180 consecutive weeks/more than three consecutive years since publication. Suzanne Collins also had a successful and prolific career writing for childrens television. In 2010 Collins was named to the TIME 100 list as well as the Entertainment Weekly Entertainers of the Year list. In 2011 Fast Company named her to their 100 Most Creative People in Business. MEET THE CHARACTERS KATNISS EVERDEEN The Tribute who becomes a heroine when she volunteers to take her sisters place in the Hunger Games. PEETA MELLARK The male Tribute from District 12, who has long harbored secret feelings for Katniss. GALE HAWTHORNE Katnisss fellow hunter, rebel and best friend, who is heartbroken when she volunteers and departs for the Games. HAYMITCH ABERNATHY Victor of the 50th Hunger Games, now the rarely sober mentor for Katniss and Peeta. EFFIE TRINKET Katnisss elaborately-coiffed escort and PR handler for the Games. CINNA Katnisss personal Stylist for the Games who becomes her unexpected confidante and supporter.