The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One) (1)

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, ruled by a shining but cruel Capitol and its twelve outlying districts. The Capitol enforces control by compelling each district to send one boy and one girl aged twelve to eighteen to compete in the annual Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards the Games as a death sentence when she volunteers to take her younger sister's place. Katniss has survived harsh conditions before and becomes a contender, forced to weigh survival against her sense of humanity and questions of life and love.