The Hunger Games continue

The last time I wrote about my middle schoolers' favorite trilogy The Hunger Games, we were writing reading journal entries together about it. This was my way of modeling with them what reading journal entries should look and sound like. This was a fine idea, but soon after, once I started reading the first book, myself, I was inspired to write my own journal entries to them, so they could see what kind of thinking happens as you move through a book, not just after you've finished.

These entries have been a real hit, and I think some of them have particularly enjoyed playing the more experienced reader as they read all my thoughts, observations, feelings and predictions. Here are some snippets:

Chapters 1-3
I'm finding myself trying to make sense of the world of this book. We don't find out until Chapter 3 that it is futuristic: Panem apparently rose out of the "ruins of North America", and it seems that it stretches across the whole continent, because the Capitol is where the Rockies used to be (West) and District 12, where Katniss lives, is where Appalachia used to be (East). But it sounds like things aren't terribly different, because District 12 is known for coal mining, just like Appalachia is known for mining today.

Student 1: I am going to have to disagree with you ... I think that it looks very different. My mental image is more everything seems a little more old-fashioned. Do you imagine District 12 to be very big? At first, I thought it was pretty small, but it's sort of hard to imagine how big a place is in a book because the author really only gives you a few places that the character goes. For example, Katniss goes to the town square, the mayor's house, Gale's house, the bread shop, and the Victors' village. Do you like Katniss?

Chapters 4-6
I'm trying to make sense of Katniss' protection of herself and distrust of so many others. Her obvious suspicion of her mother stands in such sharp contrast to her fond memories of her father, who taught her how to hunt. On p. 52, Katniss recalls that she was named after a plant that her father once pointed out to her in the forest. "I heard my father's voice joking, 'As long as you can find yourself, you'll never starve.'" I wonder if this line will have some figurative significance later on, because of the double meaning of "finding yourself."

Student 2: What seems amazing to me is that Katniss seems to have so many troubles, doubts and confusion about herself. Obviously (following stereotypical plot lines), the main character is supposed to be admirable, and I suppose she is, but she doesn't seem that way. I think a good story would support that uncertainty and eventually mend it through the course of it. I am anxious to see if, by the end, Katniss is more self-confident and solid, if she eventually comes to match her physical stance, emotionally.

Chapters 11-16
I've figured out one thing that is so successful about Collins' writing style - the end of every chapter brings some comment or event that presents something new and exciting to the story. Like at the end of Chapter 12: "It would be hard to miss the wall of fire descending on me." At this point, I'm realizing that I could just skip to the end of each chapter to see how the plot develops.
Chapters 17-25
Before reading these chapters fully, I skimmed to the end of each of them. And remarkable, I'm able to get a good picture of how the story progresses without feeling like I've missed too many important details.

Student 3: I understand your findings of those little "cliffhangers" that always seemed to be there in the first book. I hate to say it, but I think that book was the best for that technique. I have noticed that I have relentless bashed The Hunger Games in my letters. Some of these things were about the character, and about the lack of action [in the third book]. So I wonder, what exactly makes me want to read it? Maybe the pressure to find out what happens in the end, or just to see if it gets better. "Better" to me might be more action or someone dying to spice it up a little. Or to see the Capitol do something crazy. But this "better" is different for everyone.

What I notice as I continue to read their journals is that their entries are not necessarily changing according to what I've written in my own entries. But I do find their responses to my entries, and to my questions to their entries, to be ever more genuine, and not so much the kind of automatic writing students can fall into the habit of producing. Here I was, trying to figure out how to teach them how to write about their reading, when all I had to do was do what I wanted them to do, first.