The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In a post-apocalyptic world of the nation Panem, where the countries of North America once existed, the powerful Capitol controls twelve districts. Each year, as a gruesome reminder of the rebellion the districts staged decades ago, the Capitol orchestrates the Hunger Games - a televised fight to the death.

When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen's little sister is chosen as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. Katniss, however, has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature.

"The Hunger Games" is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present, where the brutal reality of survival is contrasted with the media's insatiable appetite for spectacle. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...