Sixteen-year-old Katniss lives with her mother and younger sister, Prim, in District 12, the poorest district in Panem. Panem, built on the ruins of a country once called North America, fought a war with its districts against the Capitol and lost, committing to sending one boy and one girl each year to the deadly competition that has become a reality TV show, The Hunger Games. The location, rules, and audience involvement may change, but one truth remains unchanged: kill or be killed. When Prim is chosen by lot, Katniss unhesitatingly takes her sister's place, changing her fate and beginning a story in which courage and sacrifice are the only ways to gain strength.
