Challenges ELA A10
Hunger Games Book Review
Name: _____________________________
CCA10.4h Write a review (e.g., evaluating a literary work) that:
o includes thoughtful explanations and specific references to the text itself
o expresses opinion about the value or worth of the subject in order to help audience
decide
o explores strengths and weaknesses of work and includes passages from text as
examples
o justifies opinion
o addresses what makes the text interesting, exciting, engaging, believable, unforgettable,
and significant
o does not retell plot but recognizes theme (general observation about life or human
nature) of the text and the relevance of literary techniques (e.g., setting, characters,
point of view, basic conflicts, plot development, and use of literary elements such as
figurative language and sound).
Tentative Timeline
 March 26-27: Planning
 March 27-28: Typing up first draft
 March 31 & April 1: Self and peer revision
 April 1: Final day in the computer lab.
 The final copy is due on Thursday, April 3 (negotiable)
Before writing activities:
1. What is the theme of The Hunger Games? How do you know? Remember that theme is a
statement speaking of the larger truth the novel is addressing. For example, the theme of “The
Little Red Riding Hood” might be “innocence can lead to deception;” the theme of “The Three
Little Pigs” might be “good planning can lead to success” (ideas taken from Grace Flemming’s
“Finding a Theme of a Book”).
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Challenges ELA A10
2. How do some of the literary techniques (setting, characters, point of view, basic conflicts,
plot development, etc) tie into the theme of the novel? They need to be reinforcing your idea
of what the theme is. They should be proving your point.
3. What is your opinion about the value or worth of The Hunger Games? Should it be taught?
Is it a good read? Would you recommend it? Why?
4. What makes the book interesting, exciting, engaging, believable, unforgettable, and
significant?
5. Develop a working thesis. Your thesis might change slightly (or even a lot) after you finish
writing your review, but you need to develop a working thesis. This is stating what your essay is
about and what you are going to talk about. It needs to include the author’s name and book
title. An example might be: Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a valuable text that all
students should read due to its theme on ________.” or Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games’
obsession with violence and petty teen romance are enough cause to label this read a ‘two
thumbs down.’
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Challenges ELA A10
6. Develop an outline. Look at the sample outline provided by Ms. Thue and use it as a guide
for creating your own outline.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction
a. Hype about The Hunger Games and why we should read it
b. However, at the core of the book (what takes the stage) is silly romance
c. Working thesis: Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games has the potential to be a
must-read due to its important theme on power and inequality, but,
unfortunately, it is watered-down through the petty teenage romance.
It has the makings of perfection
a. Theme: power and inequality
i. Overall plot
ii. Setting
iii. Totalitarianism/ Fascism
b. Creating awareness of larger global themes that teens are so often oblivious of
However, it is watered down through petty teen romance
a. Peeta and Katniss (and Gale)
i. The whom-should-I-pick love triangle so reminiscent of Twilight (and we
all know how educational of a read that was)
ii. Information about how much of the book is spent on love musing
iii. Katniss’ words
b. What do teens remember/discuss about the book?
i. Hearing teens discuss who Katniss will wind up with as opposed to why
Panem is messed up
Teenagers don’t need another romance novel
a. Even though the book is compelling and has these important themes, what really
takes the stage is the romance.
b. There is not enough information/specifics given about the setting for teens to
really capture the dystopian theme
c. It takes a careful and deep reader to get past the drama of feelings to how can
we compare this to our world? and What is totalitarianism?
Conclusion
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Challenges ELA A10
a. The book has the makings for a great literary read
b. However, romance takes the stage
a. If you want a book to read for fun, go for it, but if you’re looking for a compelling
read on a dystopian world that forces you to think (as opposed to mildly
suggesting it), grab Orwell’s 1984. The Hunger Games will never make it as a
classic due to these childish themes.
Your Outline: You can type it up (I would).
Self-revision:
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Read through your essay out loud. This can help you to catch silly errors.
Compare your essay to your outline. If your argument has drastically changed, consider
writing up a new outline so you can see at a glance how you have structured your
argument. This can help you see if it is organized.
Have you included textual evidence from the novel? (You need to!)
Double check that you have included the points given on the first page of this handout
in your essay (e.g. that you addressed the theme; that you justified your opinion).
Look through the persuasive techniques; which did you use?
How are your transitions? Have you used words and phrases such as: “However,” “In
addition,” “Therefore,” etc.? Do you transition both BETWEEN and WITHIN your
paragraphs?
Have you used proper MLA formatting? (Double spaced, name/class/teacher/date on
the left, title, size 12 Times New Roman or Arial or Calibri font)
Explain what you found when you did your self-revision: (Five or more things)
You receive a mark out of 25 based on the effectiveness of you self-evaluation.
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Challenges ELA A10
Peer revision:
Have a peer fill out this section about your paper.
Peer: _________________________
Person’s sheet you’re evaluating: _____________________________
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: Has your peer used correct MLA formatting? If not, state what they
need to change.
TITLE: Is the title informative and specific? An example of a good, informative title might be:
 “Why Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Leaves You Hungry for More,” or
 “The Read of the Century: A Review of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games”
CONTENT: Read through the essay and answer the following questions:
1. What is the main argument of this review?
2. Were you convinced of his/her opinion?
3. Did he/she use textual evidence from the book that was relevant and helped to prove a
point?
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Challenges ELA A10
4. In areas where citations are integrated, are there smooth transitions? Are the quotes
introduced and explained? Are any simply left on their own?
5. Did he/she justify her/his opinions, or were you left with questions?
6. Does the essay avoid simple recall of the plot summary into the theme, setting, point of
view, and/or otherwise?
GRAMMAR/MECHANICS: Re-read and circle any grammatical or mechanical errors that you
find. Look for sentence structure errors (comma splices, run-on sentences, fragments), and
punctuation errors (semi-colons, colons, commas, quotation marks). If your peer repeats an
errors a few times, state the error below and how to fix it:
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Challenges ELA A10
OVERALL CRITIQUE: Give three positive remarks and one suggestion for improvement.
Peer receives a mark out of 25 based on his/her peer evaluation.
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Challenges ELA A10
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Challenges ELA A10
Date: ______________________________ Name: _____________________________ Book Title: __________________________
Book Review Rubric
Criteria & Qualities
Poor
Good
Excellent
Point Value
Most of the required
All of the required information Up to 10 points
Introducing the text and Required information is not
information is included or the
is included and the
setting the context of
included or it is presented in a
required information is
information is in a succinct and
the text
choppy or rambling manner.
presented like a list.
fluent form.
There is a basic flow from one The report flows from general Up to 30 points
The review appears to have no section to the next, but not all ideas to specific conclusions.
Body:
direction, with subtopics
the sections or paragraphs
Transitions tie sections
Flow of the composition
appearing disjointed.
follow in a natural or logical
together, as well as adjacent
order.
paragraphs.
There is no indication the
Up to 30 points
The author provides
author has arrived at any firm
The author makes succinct and
concluding marks about the
conclusions about the text,
precise conclusions based on
text, but they are not
Critique or argument
and any opinion is vague or
the text. References to the
supported by the text. Few
confusing. Few quotations
text or direct quotations are
quotations or direct references
from or direct references to
included in the composition.
included.
the text are included.
There is no recognizable voice There is a voice, although it is
Up to 10 points
in the text or the voice
not consistently head
There is a clear and suitable
Voice
changes form one section to
throughout the piece. The
voice that continues
the next If there is a voice it is voice may not be at the
throughout the piece.
not at the appropriate register suitable register.
There are several syntax
Up to 20 points
There are some sentence
There are few syntax or diction
errors. Word choice and
Mechanics and Syntax
errors and some errors in
errors. It is a clean piece of
diction are not always
diction.
writing.
appropriate.
Final Grade
Score: ________
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