The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Meet Prenna and Ethan. Two teens from two different time periods. Prenna is from the future (year 2087) and Ethan is from the present. Prenna has a list of rules to follow and people that are in charge and watch every move she makes. She immigrated to New York when she was twelve from a future that was ravaged by a pandemic caused by the mosquito. Ethan was the young boy that saw her entrance into the world and hasn’t been able to get her out of his mind for years, that is until she sits down in front of him in Pre-Calc.

There is a magnetic pull that Prenna and Ethan feel for each other, yet Prenna must abide by the rules of not falling in love or being intimate with anyone outside of her own community. This is an engaging yet somewhat somber story about the possibilities of our future. Can Prenna make the changes to save the future? And can Ethan help her?

Written by Ann Brashares, the author of the fabulous coming of age series, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, this is a very different story. An exhilarating yet haunting and heartbreaking look into the future. The story was gripping at times and it was definitely a book I couldn’t put down, but it also really brings up issues that we need to think about as we head into the future of the 21^st century.

     “There is Earth Day and all kinds of green products that make people feel good- as though organic        cotton sheets and hemp socks are going to do the trick. But nobody does the hard things. Not if it          costs them anything. Nobody calls for any real sacrifices. Politicians aren’t very brave. I mean,              eventually they will demand sacrifices-they’ll have to, there will be no choice- but by then it will be        too late.“ (pg. 166)

This is a recommended read for Sci-Fi and Dystopian readers. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Look for this book on sale April 8^th! It is one not to miss!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This month on March 23^rd, the popular teen novel, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins will be released nationwide as one of the biggest films to hit the screens since Harry Potter. While this story takes place in the not so distant future, it shows the U.S. as a collapsed world weakened by drought, famine, fire, war as well as a corrupt government. The world has now been divided into 12 districts with one capital and each year, two young teenagers are representatives from each district where they participate in the Hunger Games. It is similar to a reality show, although the stakes are much higher. You fight until the death and only one survivor remains. This is a story, the first in a trilogy, where a young 16-year-old girl, Katniss, volunteers herself to participate in the games in order to save her younger sister who has been originally chosen for the games. This is a story not only of survival but also of friendship and love. The recommended reading level for this book is for grades 7 and up.

As we have seen with everything else, once a book has gained immense popularity someone usually buys the rights and makes it into a movie, so there is no surprise that this best selling novel published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print just in the U.S. has developed a massive following. "The Hunger Games" directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik releases on March 23rd. The movie has been rated PG-13 and has already sold more early tickets than the infamous “Twilight Series” so they expect this movie to break some box office records. The movie includes an incredible cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth ,Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and many more.

The core fans for this movie are teenagers and young adults based on who has read the trilogy. But, let’s not forget that this story is about surviving, killing in order to survive. While many young fans will want to see this movie, there is a tremendous amount of violence as the premise for this story is about kids killing kids. 

 For me personally I read the first book only and yes I couldn’t put it down. While I enjoyed the story and was definitely on the edge of my seat, I didn’t feel the need to finish the trilogy. I will be the first to admit that I am more of a conservative reader and my biggest problem with this story was the concept of kids killing kids while others watched on a large screen. It is a reality show gone wrong. But I also know the audience for this wonderfully written trilogy couldn’t get enough and while I know the movie will be a surefire hit, I would be very careful in recommending this movie to anyone under 13.

I also do strongly recommend that you read the book before heading to the movie. This has always been my policy, read first then see the movie. The book always provides so much more in the way of details and in all instances the books are always better than the movies. There is no possible way to include all the details of a well-written book into a two-hour time frame of a movie. I believe this will be the case with Hunger Games as well. But most important I think about the author, the incredible person that came up with the story first. Don’t you think we owe it to them to read their story before watching it on the big screen? If you haven’t read The Hunger Games yet by Suzanne Collins, you have exactly 27 days until the release of the movie. Go find a copy now! You won’t be disappointed.

Some websites of interest based on the movie and book:

http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/

http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0439023483

http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/index.htm