The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, (Scholastic), 2020, RRP $20.99 pb ISBN: 9781743836811

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

         

This is a prequel to the original Hunger Games books. The Games were devised by the Capitol of Panem to punish the Districts for starting a war. A boy and girl tribute from each district is sent to fight in an arena until only one remains alive. Now it is time for the tenth Hunger Games and already the population’s interest is waning. It isn’t the full bells and whistles event it will eventually become.

The main character is teenager Coriolanus Snow, the notorious President Snow of later books. The Snow’s, once an influential family, have fallen on hard times and are living in barely concealed poverty. Coriolanus is chosen to mentor one of the tributes for the Games. If his tribute does well, Coriolanus will win prize money and be able to afford to go to university.

He is assigned Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, who has made her living from singing and composing songs. Initially he is bitterly disappointed, but Lucy has charisma and he begins to see her as a person and not a means to an end. In fact, he becomes infatuated and cheats to help her win the Games. The second part of the book concerns what happens next. 

The question is posed: how much of Coriolanus Snow’s character was he born with and how much is shaped by the events he lives through? Coriolanus is certainly changed by his experiences and it is possible to see the monster he will ultimately become.

The Hunger Games trilogy were compulsive reading when they first appeared in 2008, and many will know the story of Katniss and Peeta through the movies. This new addition does not disappoint. It is written in the third person (the first three books were in first person) which gives Suzanne Collins space to draw parallels between dystopian Panam and present-day society, especially the use of media and spin.

Are people ultimately evil and must be controlled?  Or is there natural goodness as Lucy hopes? She is an enigmatic character. Readers must decide for themselves whether she is as honest as she appears. Perhaps she is simply a very talented performer. 

Compelling, well crafted, full of powerful social commentary and great characters, this is a book YA and confident middle grade readers will love. Hopefully, it is the first in a new series about Panam.

Year of the Jungle

Year of the Jungle by Suzanne Collins, illustrated by James Proimos (Scholastic Australia)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 978-0-545-42516-2
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Suzy’s dad has to go to something called a war in Vietnam for a year. She is not really sure what that means but she imagines the jungle like a favourite cartoon, looks forward to his post cards and keeps an eye on Mum (just in case she is thinking of going to the jungle too). But Mum and the rest of Suzy’s family stay home as first grade starts. Halloween, Christmas, birthdays and all the other landmarks of the year pass. Until one day, Dad is home again.

Sometimes it’s the simply told stories which are felt deeply and this is one that does that so well. It is a personal story, an autobiographical picture book about the author’s childhood, but it is also a story about growth, change and missing a loved one.

Told from the point of view of a six year old, the simple, clear and very clever text pulls on the heart strings.

“It’s snowing and I get a birthday card. My birthday isn’t until summer. The card should be for Joanie. My mom says my dad’s busy and just got confused. The jungle must be a confusing place for him to make such a serious mistake.”

Suzy’s slow awakening during the year, through news snippets and Dad’s postcards, to what is happening is interpreted wonderfully by the illustrator. The bright friendly pictures contrast with ones which show how Suzy is imagining the jungle and they get darker and scarier as her awareness grows. It has great impact.

The story starts and ends with the same paragraph about her dad reading Suzy poems by a man named Ogden Nash. But after experiencing the story in-between, that one paragraph means so much more.

Year of the Jungle is subtitled Memories from the Home Front and that is what the story is about, those at home, not those at war. This picture book sensitively explores the impact war has on families and the very young. However it is probably for school aged children, not preschoolers.

I love this book and each time I read it I love it a little bit more.

Suzanne Collins is the bestselling author of The Hunger Games trilogy.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan (Scholastic Inc)
PB RRP $22.99
ISBN 978-0-545-59933-7
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

The Hunger Games trilogy is a popular Young Adult fantasy trilogy. The movies created from them are equally as well loved. This companion is for the second of the trilogy Catching Fire and I found it a fascinating read. Even though it would be great to dip in and out of, I was riveted and read it cover to cover. I was interested not only in how the film was made, but also why and what the producers/director were trying to achieve. This was explored in interviews with the director, author, actors and others.

Catching Fire – The Official Illustrated Movie Guide is a large format book stuffed full of glossy photographs of everything related to the making of the movie – behind scenes, on set, film stills, posters, promos, sketched designs. It gives a little of the back story and what’s in the future, but mostly concentrates on just the making of Catching Fire.

This is a dystopian fantasy, set in a world created very strongly by author Suzanne Collins, and being a very visual concept with incredibly extravagant costuming, the designers of the film had to often think outside of the box. The details about casting, design, costuming, how the actors trained and building the sets are interesting, but also the companion has been well written making it fun and easy to read. And all without giving away much of the plot.

Being a visual film, it translates well into this highly visual companion and I would highly recommend it to those who love the books/movies or for anyone interested in how movies are made. As with the books and movies, this release is for teenagers, not primary aged children.

Now I’m off to see the movie.