Oh, How I Wish My Critics Would Read This Review!

I will be the first to admit that The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is full of violence. Yet, as a teacher of 8th grade students (who are in the 13-14 year old range), the violence depicted is nothing they haven't seen already. When I decided to teach the book last year, I didn't warn the students about the violence, and since it wasn't brought into the forefront of discussion, most of my kid took it with a grain of salt. It was needed for the plot, and that was that. I'm so sad that I might not get to teach this book again, because of the violence, and I really wish that the committee that is reviewing books for my classroom would read this review from TIME Magazine. The writer, Lev Grossman, is spot-on with his assessment of teens today and how poignant Collins's writing can be for this age group...heck, how amazing the writing can be for ANY age group for that matter. Check out what Grossman had to say about both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire....I'm not exaggerating the fabulousity of this novel. You need to read it!