Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

$17.99 Scholastic

If you haven't read Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy, STOP HERE.

Okay, I warned you.  So, now...aside from how glad I was to get back to the Districts and find out what was happening to everyone, I have a few questions.  Why was it necessary to the plot to have Katniss and her team break away and try to get to the City Circle on their own?  They wasted days in hiding, and lost the lives of members of the team, (like Finnick!) for no particular reason that I could see.  They didn't blaze a trail, clear a path, or cause a diversion.  The rebels and even the medics ended up reaching the Circle at the same time that they did.  Was their solo effort foreseen and figured into Coin's master plan?  Also, what was Peeta doing after they separated and were trying to reach the Circle?  And later, why did Gale receive a fancy job in District 2, when his tactics were the ones used to kill the children and the medics?  Lastly, when Coin proposed one last round of Hunger Games, what was Katniss hoping that Haymitch would understand about her vote?  Was she already thinking seriously about betraying Coin, and trying not to tip her off? 

I loved the Hunger Games trilogy; I thought that it ended well and that the relationships between Katniss and Gale and Peeta evolved as they did for clear reasons, but there is still lots of room for discussion.  I think it's a mark of a good book, when you care enough to want to know more. - Ellen