Posted on: January 27, 2012
The definitive collector's edition of the New York Times bestselling The Hunger Games will include a special slipcase featuring exclusive new mockingjay artwork.The astonishing bestseller, now in a deluxe, slipcased collector's edition featuring exclusive new Mockingjay artwork.In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making…
You've got to hand it to Collins: No one can plot a fantasy novel like her. Nobody. She has you not from the first page or the first graf, but the first *word*. She creates believable, likable and riveting characters, ridiculously addictive survival scenarios and a rich world to boot. If you aren't up until 4 a.m. finishing this thing, you're a corpse. My only problem with this novel also happens to be a very big problem: the overall premise. I'm not spoiling anything by mentioning that the plot involves kids pitted against each other in a giant outdoor slugfest to the death. Again: Kids pitted against each other in a fight to the death. Oh, and it's all on TV. Everyone in this post-apocalyptic world either thinks that's neat, or throws up his or her hands and figures there's nothing that can be done about it. The author explains this away by creating a world of poverty and hunger; the parents of the young gladiators are so beaten down and afraid of the totalitarian regime that they just hug their kids and shut up and pray, but -- and this is just my opinion -- that's not an effective enough mechanism. It simply doesn't jibe with human nature. Even the starving, terrorized parents of child soldiers in Africa have been known to drag themselves into the bush and track their kids down or die trying. As much as I loved everything else about this book, I can't get past the basic setup. Isn't there one parent out there, one crazy uncle or scrappy rebellious mom, who'd stand up and…
Posted on: February 14, 2012
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.
I loved the Hunger Games, liked Catching Fire and was truly disappointed in Mockingjay. **Spoilers ahead** First off, I'm aware that many readers love this book. But for me, it fell flat. War is horrible. And with this book I had the impression it was written with the purpose in mind to get that point across. Random deaths, hopelessness, broken people, plans that end in nothing but despair, sickness, no heroes only tears. I already knew that about war. If I want real life I watch the news. I started this series because I was intrigued by Katniss, by her courage, how she stood up for herself and the people she loved. She was gritty, almost an anti-hero but definitely strong. In this book she stumbles from scene to scene, always pushed by someone, just a pawn. I lost count how many times she woke up in the hospital while the story unfolded around her but always without her. Too many scenes end with her getting a shot in the arm that makes her black out. Too many times is she crying huddled in a corner. I'm not saying that she has no reason to be sad, but that is NOT the Katniss from the first two books. This is fiction and I prefer people to ACT in my fiction, not be acted upon or do nothing for many, many pages. The love triangle between her, Gale and Peeta, is all but gone from the book, just an afterthought. There's little dialogue between the characters. Peeta returns and now hates Katniss because he was tortured and brainwashed by the capitol. And Katniss gives up on him for…
Posted on: February 16, 2012
When a thunderstorm knocks out the electricity, Charlie McButton's wholetech empire comes tumbling down. He needs batteries–FAST. But the only batteries are inside his baby sister's beloved talking doll.Will he resort to desperate measures, and cause his sister to have a meltdown of her own? Or will he snap out of his computer craze long enough to realize sisters can be fun, even without batteries? The wacky illustrator of A Is for Salad and the author of the highly acclaimed fantasy novel Gregor the Overlander team up for a most timely picture book that will crack up your favorite computer addict.
Charlie McButton is a boy who loves his technology. He lives for his computerized games until he's forced to live without what he loves most.
"then one day a thunderstorm blows through town,
and brings his tech empire tumbling down.
A lightening bolt struck an electrical tower,
And Charlie Mcbutton?
His whole world lost power."
Told in wonderful rhyming verses, Charlie looks around at his world and sees that his little sister has batteries! I won't give away what happens, but suffice it to say, Charlie learns a valuable lesson. The illustrations, by Mike Lester a cartoonist, are so alive with color and detail drawn in a way that will have the kids asking for this book over and over.
Suzanne Collins, a prolific and inspired writer, has also written a very popular series for middle-schoolers called Gregor the Overlander, and Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane.
When I Dream
Posted on: January 16, 2012
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (unabridged MP3 - CD)
The entire book on one disc
Clearly Gregor was merely the prelude. Suzanne Collins, you've been holding out on us, missy. As an author we were accustomed to your fun adventures involving a boy, his sister, and a world beneath our world. I think it's fair to say that we weren't really expecting something like The Hunger Games. At least I wasn't. But reading it gave me a horribly familiar feeling. There is a certain strain of book that can hypnotize you into believing that you are in another time and place roughly 2.3 seconds after you put that book down. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer could convince me that there were simply not enough canned goods in my home. And The Hunger Games? Well as I walked down the street I was under the disctinc impression that there were hidden cameras everywhere, charting my progress home. Collins has written a book that is exciting, poignant, thoughtful, and breathtaking by turns. It ascends to the highest forms of the science fiction genre and will create all new fans for the writer. One of the best books of the 2008 year. Life in District 12 isn't easy for Katniss and her family. Ever since her father died the girl has spent her time saving her mother and little sister Prim from starvation by hunting on forbidden land. But worst of all is reaping day. Once a year the government chooses two children from each of the twelve districts to compete against one another in a live and televised reality show. Twenty-four kids and teens enter, and only one survives. When Prim's…
Posted on: February 16, 2012
Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, and Gregor and the Marks of Secret.
The service provided by the seller was excellent. As for the books, all of my kids have read them and are now loaning them out.
Posted on: January 13, 2012
Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, the New York Times-bestselling Underland Chronicles unfold the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor. Suzanne Collins is also the author of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.In the fourth volume of the critically acclaimed Underland Chronicles, Gregor is drawn ever deeper into a brewing crisis. For generations, rats have run the mice–or “nibblers”–out of whatever lands they’ve claimed, keeping them constantly on the move. But now the mice are disappearing, and the young queen Luxa, who credits them with saving her life, is determined to find out why. When Gregor joins her on a fact-finding mission, he’s relieved that this time, at least, there’s no prophecy on the line. But when the true fate of the mice is revealed, it is something far more sinister than Gregor or Luxa have imagined–and it points the way to the final prophecy he has yet to fulfill. Gregor’s role as warrior and his abilities as a rager…
A little darker in places than the earlier books, this book was very captivating and thrilling. The action and suspense keeps you wanting to find out what will happen next. The interactions between the characters gives you a lot of insight into their pasts and makes you thirst for what will happen in the next book. The book will leave you excited for the adventure to continue.
Posted on: February 16, 2012
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. By winning the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion.
As with the other Suzanne Collins book, this arrived in new condition, as offered, before than expected, which is even better, because my daughters couldn't wait for reading it.
Posted on: February 13, 2012
A heart-stopping, page-turning first novel of a new YA trilogy from the author of the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles series.Format: 9 CDs, UnabridgedKatniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.NARRATED by Carolyn McCormick
Clearly Gregor was merely the prelude. Suzanne Collins, you've been holding out on us, missy. As an author we were accustomed to your fun adventures involving a boy, his sister, and a world beneath our world. I think it's fair to say that we weren't really expecting something like The Hunger Games. At least I wasn't. But reading it gave me a horribly familiar feeling. There is a certain strain of book that can hypnotize you into believing that you are in another time and place roughly 2.3 seconds after you put that book down. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer could convince me that there were simply not enough canned goods in my home. And The Hunger Games? Well as I walked down the street I was under the disctinc impression that there were hidden cameras everywhere, charting my progress home. Collins has written a book that is exciting, poignant, thoughtful, and breathtaking by turns. It ascends to the highest forms of the science fiction genre and will create all new fans for the writer. One of the best books of the 2008 year. Life in District 12 isn't easy for Katniss and her family. Ever since her father died the girl has spent her time saving her mother and little sister Prim from starvation by hunting on forbidden land. But worst of all is reaping day. Once a year the government chooses two children from each of the twelve districts to compete against one another in a live and televised reality show. Twenty-four kids and teens enter, and only one survives. When Prim's…
Posted on: January 18, 2012
In the fourth volume of the critically acclaimed Underland Chronicles, Gregor is drawn ever deeper into a brewing crisis. For generations, rats have run the mice - or "nibblers" - out of whatever lands they've claimed, keeping them constantly on the move. But now the mice are disappearing, and the young queen Luxa, who credits them with saving her life, is determined to ?nd out why.
When Gregor joins her on a fact-?nding mission, he's relieved that this time, at least, there's no prophecy on the line. But when the true fate of the mice is revealed, it is something far more sinister than Gregor or Luxa have imagined - and it points the way to the ?nal prophecy he has yet to ful?ll.
Gregor's role as warrior and his abilities as a rager are put to the test in this suspenseful, action-packed penultimate installment of Suzanne Collins's thrilling Underland Chronicles.
For many people, there's the never ending issue of what to read whiel waiting for the next Harry Potter book. I discovered this series myself whiel waiting. I instantly got hooked on the Underland Chronicals, and this book is my fave. When the Nibblers, or mice, send Luxa her crown, Gregor, Ares, Luxa, and Arora go on a search to find out what happened to the mice who save Luxa and Arora's lifes in the jungle. There is now some romance in between Gregor and Luxa, although nothing to serious.The fifth book comes out on May 1st, and you should prbobly wait until then to buty this book, because it has a clif-hanger ending! Again, I would totaly recomend this book to anyone wo has a serious intrest in fantasy, action, mystery, and a pinch of romance. Kudoos to you, Suzanne Collins!
Posted on: January 24, 2012
(2010) The most extensive and most current information ever assembled for a state herpetological field guide. 497 full-color photos, 65 illustrations, 95 distribution maps, identification maps. Hardcover w/Dustjacket
You'll find range maps and nice color photos in this book. There's a key in the back if you need it.
There is very little species information, and "unique" taxonomy. Range maps are decent, color dot maps. Photos are crisp and clear. For each species, there's a very short run through of natural history and then a gob of literature to refer to that is usually as lengthy as the species account.
In the front of the book there appears to be acknowledgement of anyone who has ever seen a snake in Kansas. Check it out, your name might be in there.
Unless you're in Kansas or desperately need this for the field, wait to get it for a reduced price. It is certainly not essential.
Posted on: February 16, 2012
Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, the New York Times-bestselling Underland Chronicles unfold the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor. Suzanne Collins is also the author of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.PRAISE FOR Gregor and the Curse of the WarmbloodsKirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice, 2003NY Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing“Gregor’s luminous, supremely absorbing quest takes place in a strange underground land of giant cockroaches, rideable bats, and violet-eyed humans.... Creature depictions are soulful and the plot is riveting….Wonderful.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review“Collins does a grand job of world-building, with a fine economy of words…. Unlike Gregor, who cannot wait to leave, readers will likely find [the Underland] to be a fantastically engaging place.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review“[An] exceptional debut novel, a well-written, fast-moving, action-packed fantasy…[S]ure to be a solid hit with young fantasy…
I don't give too many things five stars and I had to think this one over a bit, but upon reflection, I think it deserves it. Although you do have to read the first two not just for the backstory, but to see why it rates higher, the way it's more developed, the writing more mature. While the first book had a focus on us getting to know Gregor and the Underland, the second on Gregor's growth emotionally and mentally, this one is all about disillusionment, the realities of politics and human greed, and Gregor truly leaving most of his childhood behind. The Underlanders, for all that they look different are, inside, no different from the rest of humanity. That's the lesson I came out with, anyway, and it's a good one. In this latest quest, any remaining illusions Gregor (or the readers) might've had about Underland are irreversibly shattered. The human Underlanders are mostly decent people, the same as the rest of humanity as we know it, but there are enough bad apples in power there to make them all look bad, the same as here in the Overland. There's prejudice, blind, unthinking hatred, rifts between families, murder, malicious deception, pure greed, and it all gives the story such a good feel of reality. In a world filled with giant creatures, that touch of reality grounds the story and makes it easier for the reader to relate to, makes the suspension of disbelief much easier to maintain. A plague is mowing its way through the warmbloods of Underland and yet another prophecy says…
Posted on: January 20, 2012
Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, the New York Times-bestselling Underland Chronicles unfold the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor. Suzanne Collins is also the author of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.Everyone has been trying to keep Gregor from seeing the final prophecy, The Prophecy of Time. It says something awful: It calls for the warrior’s death. The warrior being Gregor, of course. Now, an army of rats is quickly approaching and Gregor’s mom and little sister, Boots, are still in Regalia. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor’s hands and time is running out. There is a code that must be cracked, a new princess to contend with Gregor’s burgeoning dark side, and a war designed to end all wars.In this suspenseful final installment in the acclaimed Underland Chronicles, Suzanne Collins unfolds the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor the Overlander, in a manner that can only be described as masterful.
Gregor is 12 years old and he has already experienced the horrors of war. Add to that the knowledge of his own death, how would you handle carrying that secret around? Someone very close to him dies and yet as soon as his mother comes back from the fount hospital she wants to take him home. Just pick-up and leave as if the past 15 monthes never happened. As if Gregor can go back to the life he had before he & Boots fell. His body full of scars he has to keep hidden. The emotions running through him after losing a very close friend. Ask yourself how you would feel after the adventures he experinced. This book series is second only to the Harry Potter book series. All five books are well written but they do get better as Gregor grows up. Gregor has experienced Love & Loss in the "Code of Claw". He learns how to fight in the dark without light from Ripred. Ripred is more of a father to Gregor than his real father. Both of Gregor's parents are bed ridden in the last book and so his two little sisters look to him for guidence. Lizzie finally has a much larger part in this story and Boots is nothing but comedy relief but the comedy comes at just the right time. Ares shows everybody what kind of worrior he really is (About time). I just wish Suzanne Collins had a little more closure. What will happen to everybody in the future. What happens to Howard & Nike, Luxa & Hazards, Temp, Aurora and finally Ripred? How does Gregor grow up, what does he become in the…
Posted on: February 16, 2012
The extraordinary, ground breaking New York Times bestsellers The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, along with the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, are available for the first time ever in a beautiful boxset edition. Stunning, gripping, and powerful. The trilogy is now complete!
I bought The Hunger Games trilogy after reading the first book, The Hunger Games. I couldn't put it down. It was amazing - suspenseful, easy to read, interesting story, and captivating characters. I was completely obsessed and highly recommend this to anyone. I finished each book in just over a day and wished there was more.
Posted on: February 16, 2012
When Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where giant spiders, rats, and cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. But it is a world on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy has foretold that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it-until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, he embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.
This thrill-packed collection contains the entire five-book series, including The Code of Claw, The Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor the Overlander, The Marks of Secret, and The Prophecy of Bane, packaged in a sturdy boxed set for years of reading adventure.
I have been enjoying the books in this series as I read them to my seven-year-old son (we have not read all of them yet). However, you should be aware that this is NOT a "boxed" set, despite the product description. It is a collection of five books, but it does NOT include a box. This was disappointing to me as I prefer to buy boxed sets, when possible.
Posted on: February 16, 2012
When 11-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of his New York City apartment building, he hurtles into a dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats—but the fragile peace is about to fall apart. Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, Suzanne Collins unfolds the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor, in the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles.
Suzanne Collins is the author of the phenomenally successful - and phenomenally good - young adult series, the Hunger Games, which began with The Hunger Games, continued in Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) and will conclude with Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games), due in August, 2010. (Can't wait!) I hope fans of the Hunger Games series will be willing to give Collin's earlier series, offered here as a box set, a try. Though aimed at a slightly younger audience than the Hunger Games, the story is, IMHO, equally absorbing and unforgettable. If someone would have told me that I would fall in love with a series of children's books featuring giant bats, giant rats and giant cockroaches among other creatures, I would have been very skeptical (to put it mildly). In fact, after I found the first book in the series, Gregor The Overlander (Underland Chronicles, Book 1), in a used bookstore and picked it up to see if it should be added to my growing library of children's books, it sat in my to-be-read pile for more than a year. When I finally sat down with it, though, I was less than half way through when I set it aside just long enough to drive to the bookstore so that I could buy the rest of the series. I knew that I would want them on hand so that I could finish the series in one big rush - which is exactly what I did. Then I ordered the entire set in hardcover for myself, gave them a prominent place on my keep forever shelf and mailed the paperback editions…
