REVIEWS:
THE MOCKINGJAY
#1 USA Today Bestseller! (Ages 12 & up)
“At its best the trilogy channels the political passion of “1984,” the memorable violence of “A Clockwork Orange,” the imaginative ambience of “The Chronicles of Narnia” and the detailed inventiveness of “Harry Potter.” The specifics of the dystopian universe, and the fabulous pacing of the complicated plot, give the books their strange, dark charisma.”
—The New York Times, Katie Roiphe
“This dystopic-fantasy series, which began in 2008, has had such tremendous crossover appeal that teens and parents may discover themselves vying for — and talking about — the family copy of “Mockingjay.” And there’s much to talk about because this powerful novel pierces cheery complacency like a Katniss-launched arrow. Look skeptically at computer and television images, it suggests, be aware of spin, gaze upon the young faces of the world’s soldiers. Children forced to kill children? It’s not just in the pages of a novel.”
—The Washington Post
“The indelible conclusion to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy proves once more that the greatest fantasy novels hold an incandescent mirror up to reality.”
—Parade, Parade Picks
“But being the Mockingjay comes with a price as Katniss must come to terms with how much of her own humanity and sanity she can willingly sacrifice for the cause, her friends, and her family. Collins is absolutely ruthless in her depictions of war in all its cruelty, violence, and loss, leaving readers, in turn, repulsed, shocked, grieving and, finally, hopeful for the characters they’ve grown to empathize with and love. Mockingjay is a fitting end to the series that began with The Hunger Games (2008) and Catching Fire (2009) and will have the same lasting resonance as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Stephen King’s The Stand.”
—School Library Journal
“The final installment, the grimmest yet, is a riveting meditation on the costs of war…Clear your schedule before you start: This is a powerful, emotionally exhausting final volume.”
—People Magazine,4 OUT OF 4 STARS
“Collins deftly balances the fear and freakout of a little girl who learns her dad’s in danger with the upbeat, optimistic portrayal of a kid going about the business of being a kid. James Proimos’ cartoony illustrations are more reassuring and funny than scary. “
—Common Sense Media, 5 OUT OF 5 STARS
“But though post-traumatic stress disorder is often spoken of these days, the more subtle effects of war on the children of men and women serving abroad are less well known…While Sue is not able to formulate her feelings in words, James Proimos’s excellent illustrations capture her confusion…’ Year of the Jungle” may take place in the late 1960s, but with more than 2.3 million Americans deployed abroad between 2001 and 2012, the mixture of anxiety, excitement, fear, boredom and confusion Sue experiences on the home front will be sadly familiar to many children. For them, Collins’s picture book may be a good tool to discuss the complex feelings war brings into a household .”
—The New York Times