The Girl Who Was on Fire edited by Leah Wilson

Book Jacket

Burning for more of the Hunger Games?

Katniss Everdeen's adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide.

In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, reality TV, survival, and more.

-How does the way the Games affect the brain explain Haymitch's drinking, Annie's distraction, and Wiress' speech problems?
-What does the rebellion have in common with the War on Terror?
-Why isn't the answer to "Peeta or Gale?" as interesting as the question itself?
-What should Panem have learned from the fates of other hedonistic societies throughout history--and what can we?

Review

There's almost no point in me telling you how awesome this book is.  If you love the Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy and like to analyze and think about your favorite stories, then you will also adore The Girl Who Was on Fire.  If you like to leave stories as they are without deeper thinking, then you might as well leave this one alone.

But me?  I loved getting back into the world of Panem.  I loved hearing about other people's love for the story and for Katniss.  I loved understanding how Collins' post-apocalyptic world is far more similar to our own than is comfortable.  I loved sharing in the joy of talking books with other people, even if this was definitely one-sided.

My favorite essays:  "Team Katniss,"  "Crime of Fashion,"  "The Inevitable Decline of Decadence," and "Community in the Face of Tyranny."

Five out of five fan essays.

Release Date:  April 2011
Reading Level:  Grade 7+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  Not yet owned by the Dunlap Library.