Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games

 What a revelation.  I expected this to be some poorly constructed kiddie fare, not the masterful narrative it revealed itself to be.  This book has everything that I could want in a young adult novel--every imaginable literary device and technique suitable for introduction to teenagers.  Is the fact that it's also engrossing and enjoyable the cake, or the icing?  Read for pleasure, it is the former.  Taught for learning objectives, it is the latter.  Either way, I look forward to finding a way to teach this next year, and am already writing lesson plans in my mind.