after i finished this book just as i was going to bed and when i closed the book just sat and stared at the ceiling till 5:45 in the morning!! this is a wonderful and powerful book and i would recommend it to any one of my colleges the violence (like in the last one) was brutal but quite necessary for the plot to continue unbroken, A "smashing good read"
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Catching Fire: The Hunger Games, Book 2
(2009, Fiction - Science Fiction, Written by Suzanne Collins)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Sequel just as gripping -- and brutal -- as the first.
Themes in this book include: revenge
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Catching Fire: The Hunger Games, Book 2
Parents need to know that this follow-up to The Hunger Games concerns a TV tournament in which 20 teens fight a gruesome battle to the death. The violence, while not gory or graphic in detail, is plentiful. Fighting involves primitive weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, poisoning, and spearings and stabbings. The futuristic government that sponsors the event terrorizes and tortures citizens that revolt.
Read our full review by Edward T. Sullivan
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about all the rich themes in this book. Considering current reality TV offerings and America's cultural obsession with violence, how hard is it to imagine people killing one another as entertainment? What are some examples from the past in which such "entertainment" did exist?
- Are there any TV programs or video games that remind remind you of the Hunger Games tournament? How are they similar?
- What does the Capitol do to people in the distrcits that can be called oppressive? Are there governments in the world today that could be considered as oppressive?
- What lengths would you go to in order to survive?
- Why is Katniss the best person to be the symbolic leader of the uprising? What are Katniss' true feelings towards Gale and Peeta?
Our Members Say
See all 18 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 15 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
good for 15 and up. others;read at your own risk!
- I rate this title on for age 12 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Educational
Great alternative to typical teen fiction!
This is a terrific book for teens, and quite a step away from typical teen novels. It's another one of those dystopian future books, but it's one that might particularly resonate with teens. The book does describe graphic violence and opressive government behavior (a boy gets whipped for supporting a rebellion and the Hunger Games themselves are bloodbaths) but teens who can handle horror movies on their own or don't have particularly vivid imaginations will be fine. There are also scenes which describe illegal activity (Katniss hunts illegally and trades in a black market, the people plan a rebellion against the government) but such actions are justified and the characters acknowlege they are wrong, though they rarely have a choice. Most of all, this book and the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy will encourage teens to step back and take a look not only at themselves, but at the media and the messeges it's sending to them. For example the excessive, consumerist, media-obsessed culture of The Capitol is somewhat of a joke in the book (characters are often in desbelief over what citizens do to be "in-style")though it certainly doesn't seem so far fetched when your family takes a trip down to the mall! For encouraging media literacy and a counter-cultural veiw towards media messages, this booke is reccomended for all teens, especially girls, who could get a kick out of seeing the headstrong heroine come out on top!
- I rate this title off for age 15 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
I like adventure, but this is horrible
Im sorry to people that likes these books but I read "The Hunger Games" and it was awful. Some people that read it said it was pretty good though.
- I rate this title on for age 12 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Ages 12+, Awesome!!!
I totaly loved Catching Fire. My class had to read the first book in the series, Hunger Games, and I checked it out of our local library, and couldn't wait to finish it. I already finished Catching Fire, and can't wait for the next in the series. For all the parent out there, his book is appropriate for kids, proabably ages 12 or so up, and for kids who won't take the violence seriously. There is quite a bit of violence, killing, etc., but a whole lot less then the first book. This one is more about how people don't like the government and what it is doing. BUt the book is great, and I think everyone should read it, even if they don't like sci-fi or fantasy!!! Hey don't pay attention to the age thing I am only 15!
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Okay book; Read the first
This book is very good. It is a love story instead of an adveenture like the first one. Is pretty boring.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 60% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 60% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
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