Defending Your Choice to Teach The Hunger Games

  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a riveting, high-interest novel that has the power to turn reluctant readers into book worms. I've seen it happen in my classroom and I know many teachers around the world have witnessed similar transformations in their students.
  So what makes The Hunger Games so much better to teach teenagers than other popular series like Harry Potter or Twilight?
  First, I love the Harry Potter series. But the early books in the series are directed toward younger readers, therefore, many teens view it as a more "elementary" series, even though the later novels clearly are not. But, that is their perception.
  Second, Twilight is targeted to their age group, but it seems like a "girly" series. I also enjoyed reading this series, but I can completely see how boys would not be drawn to it.
  That brings me back to the original question: What makes The Hunger Games better?
1. It's fast-paced. This is important for reluctant readers. Any long, drawn-out boring parts will certainly turn them off.
2. There's hunting, survival, high-stakes conflict, and some violence. This works for the boys.
3. There's also a strong female narrator, a childhood crush, conflicting emotions, and friendship. This works for the girls.
4. Almost every chapter ends in a mini-cliff hanger. The reader wants to keep reading to find out what happens next.
5. There's plenty of symbolism and allegory for advanced readers to find interesting.
6. The writing is good: Suzanne Collins uses a rich supply of figurative language and authentic-sounding dialogue.
7. The themes are universal: trust/distrust, desensitization to violence, hope, survival, love, war, and so on.
8. Inside each one of us lives a "good" and "bad" guy; it is how we act in difficult situations that sets us apart.
9. The "good guys" try to do the right thing when challenged; they feel compassion for others and act in humane ways.
10. The "bad guys" act inhumanely, reinforcing the theme that using violence to punish others or solve problems is wrong.
11. There are so many opportunities for comparison to historical events and topics, such as comparisons with the study of Western Civilization (Ancient Greek/Roman history), slavery, revolutions/rebellions, genocide, the Holocaust, war (pick any).
12. It can be linked with other content areas for collaborative projects or study.
  I could easily go on and on...
  Obviously, my passion for the series is apparent and I have not had any opposition from parents for teaching it. However, I have had some teachers contact me because they have. With that in mind, I have a free download for teachers with some tips and editable reading permission slips (see links below).
  I do believe that the novel is appropriate for ages 12 on up. Some readers are more mature and can handle it when they are younger, but I would not recommend teaching it as a whole-class novel if your students are younger than 12 or even 13. I teach high school and am able to have great discussions about serious issues related to the novel; I don't think students younger than 12 could have these discussions. Some certainly could; but as a class novel, I would probably wait.
  I also believe that Catching Fire and Mockingjay are geared toward 14 and up. The themes and issues are more mature (some topics of discussion include bulimia, genetic diversity, and nuclear warfare). Of course, students could easily read these independently just fine.
  You can download the permission slip template (in a zipped drive with a copy in Microsoft Word and a PDF copy) in my TpT store {HERE}. Or you can download it from Scribd {HERE}.

Celebrate the Freedom to Read During Banned Books Week

This week kicks off the ALA's Banned Books Week, which celebrates "our First Amendment freedom to read while drawing attention to the harms that censorship does to our society and our individual freedoms" says Molly Raphael from The Huffington Post. Did you know The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins made the list of challenged books for 2010-2011 according to the American Library Association (ALA)?

It's ironic, isn't it? Censorship and suppressing information is very President Snow-like. Do we want to live in Katniss's world? In Panem, where the government decides what we can read, what we can learn, and who we are allowed to communicate with?

One would think in the year 2011 that censorship would not be an issue, but it is. Attempts to suppress literature and other materials is actually more prevalent than you might think.  The ALA reported that there were 348 challenges to books last year alone. The majority of the challenges are initiated by a parent, directed toward a school and/or school library, and are instigated because of the objection of sexually-explicit material in the book (this refers to books that are labeled as age-appropriate, NOT books that are clearly not appropriate for the age group). For example, The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank is one that was challenged for sexual explicitness and deemed inappropriate for 8th graders in Culpepper, Virginia in January, 2010.

Let's compare reading a book in school to a doctor giving a vaccination shot, which are known to prevent illnesses and disease. Many parents object to giving their children vaccinations. They have that right to make that decision for their own child. But it would be absurd to stop offering vaccinations to everyone because one or more people objected. The benefits are far too great, right? So are the benefits of reading a novel: One book can open up a world of possibilities. One book can help someone cope with their own pain and loss. One book can prevent someone from harming another, or themselves. One book can convince someone that it's OK to be different. One book can inspire. One book can change someone's life. And, chances are, it's a book that someone else wants to prevent you from reading.

In my experience, many people who object to the content have not actually read the book in its entirety. Too often, parts of a novel are extracted and used as evidence of inappropriateness. An entire piece of literature cannot be judged by one passage or quote; the themes and purpose of the novel need to be considered before judging. So to grasp the full meaning, one must read the entire work. In fact, most of the books that are challenged are against the very thing they are accused of promoting. You can read more in my previous blog post about those who challenge The Hunger Games.

This does not mean that I don't believe parents have a right to decide what is appropriate for their child. I believe they do. However, they do not have a right to impose that belief on all children, or all people, for that matter. At our school, if a parent objects to a novel we are teaching, the student is given an alternative substitution that deals with similar themes. The book is not removed from the classroom or from the curriculum.

What is your school's policy? Has The Hunger Games been challenged by any parents? How have you responded? Do you fear it could be challenged? If so, make sure to read my previous post and feel free to contact me if you need additional support.

Here are some FREE "I Read Banned Books" bookmarks 

you can print & distribute. :) Enjoy!