Student Review: Catching Fire (Collins)

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Science Fiction (Fiction, Dystopian, Adventure)
Pages: 391
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Catching Fire tells the action-filled, sci-fi story of Katniss Everdeen, an 18 year old girl who was forced into a fight to the death called, The Hunger Games. This book takes place in the future where there is a Capital that rules over 12 surrounding Districts. This book is the sequel to The Hunger Games, a book where Katniss and a boy named Peeta are picked from District 12 to compete in the Hunger Games. In the end, Peeta and Katniss are the only ones alive, and should have to kill each other. But neither one wants to kill the other, so they both decide to eat these poisonous berries that will kill both of them. But instead they are both allowed to live, but people in the district see them disobeying the Capital. So uprisings begin in the Districts. Catching Fire tells you what happens when the Districts rebel, and how Katniss is punished for her actions.


I picked this book because I had read the Hunger Games and I thought it was an amazing book. The theme of this book is to stand up for what you believe in. Don’t let others treat you unfairly. My favorite character was a man named Cinna. Cinna is Katniss’s clothing designer for the Hunger Games. Cinna was a great friend to Katniss throughout her whole experience, and always helped her in tough situations. He had an amazing personality, and one action in particular that occurred during Catching Fire made him my favorite character (but I can’t tell you what that was without giving away the story).


I thought this book was amazing. It had great description of characters, and by the end you could predict what the characters would do in certain situations. The only thing I did not like was that the settings were very vague and not clearly described. I think almost any reader will enjoy this amazing read, but especially those who enjoy a bit of sci-fi and a lot of action.


This book has an amazing theme, which to me was stand up for what you believe in. Do you think that if you were Katniss, and these cruel and unfair people were living near your home, you would want to rebel, or would you cower to this great and powerful force? Read the book to see how Katniss reacts to the sudden twists, and shocking secrets that will forever change her life.
--Trent, 8th grade

Yeah!  I love this book, too!