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Op-Ed: Love, Loyalty Shine in 'Hunger Games'

A 12-year-old stays up way past her bedtime to see "The Hunger Games" on opening night, and just like the book trilogy, the movie does not disappoint.

Surely you’ve heard of the Hunger Games by now. It’s all anyone has been talking about these days, and for good reason. The books are amazing, and the movie was awesome.

I’m going to tell you why I love the Hunger Games, but let me give you a little background on the story first:

The Hunger Games is about a dystopian future, where North America is known as Panem. Panem is made up of one superficial Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The districts once tried to rebel, and the Capitol defeated them badly. Now, to show that the Capitol is in charge and to prevent any future rebellion, each district must choose one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to fight to the death on national television. The districts have to watch, and the Capitol citizens love it. They treat it like a reality TV show.

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Katniss, a sixteen year old girl, volunteers to fight in place of her twelve year old sister, Prim. Katniss can hunt, and she loves her sister more than anything. Katniss has been protecting and providing for her family since her father was killed in a mine explosion, and her choice to volunteer for the Games and save her sister is no different.

To those people who say that the book sends a terrible message because kids shouldn’t be reading a book where teenagers kill each other, I would recommend you read and comprehend the book and its message first. The Hunger Games is about protecting your family and putting the lives of those you love above your life. Katniss is not bloodthirsty or ecstatic over the fact that children are dying. She’s doing what she has to do to survive and protect her family, and she’s rebelling in the arena, trying to stop the death match.

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I love the Hunger Games because it’s different. It’s not your typical Twilight romance. It’s not about how terrible a girl’s life is until she finds her true love. It’s not about a fifteen year old who gets a zit and her whole life is over. Seriously, there’s a book where that happens. Marketed towards kids like me. It’s offensive.

Katniss doesn’t need someone to rescue her, she’s not miserable until she finds the perfect boy, and she is not all wrapped up in romance. She hunts, she kills, she stands up for herself. And the boys she loves (yes, there is a small love triangle in the story, and no, it’s not the major component of the book) are not the “Hotties of the Hunger Games” that reviewers talk about to try to appeal to girls my age. The boys have feelings. Katniss never describes them as hot or cute. She describes them as sweet, emotional and strong. Which I think is important to kids my age, to know that guys should be more than just looks.

I also loved the movie. My mom and I went to the midnight premiere this week wearing t-shirts she had made for us, because she’s awesome. We drove up to the theater, and every single poster outside was for the Hunger Games. Lots of people dressed up. We had fun pointing out the characters like pink-haired Effie at the snack bar or Katniss over there getting butter on her popcorn. It was like heaven to me.

Then we went into the theater, made eye contact with the friends we were meeting up with, and loudly shouted, “WHOOOOO!” We were expecting eye rolling, but the whole theater was yelling with us.

We sat down, talked through the previews and made our summer movie plans, and then the whole theater silenced as the movie began.

 Of course it wasn’t just like the books. That is never going to happen. But the added scenes gave depth to the story, and the things they took out weren’t that important. Some of the bad guy characters in the books were given more of a good guy angle in the movie. I liked that, because I think there’s a little good in everybody, and most of the “bad” characters in the story were just doing what they had to do.

I thought the movie was very true to the book. The emotional scenes made me cry, as well as some guy in the theater who wanted us ALL to hear how upset he was. I think he may have been crying through a megaphone.

The movie ended, we sat through all the credits hoping for a surprise that never came, and then we walked out of the theater, talking about the movie. I thought Haymitch and Effie were the perfect comic relief, Lenny Kravitz did a great job (Cinna has always been my mom’s favorite character, and she has the most embarrassing crush on Lenny), Jennifer Lawrence was a very realistic hunter, and Josh Hutcherson just WAS Peeta.

As soon as we exited the theater, the fact that it was three in the morning hit us. My mom and I said goodbye to our friends, and we piled into our car like the sleep deprived people we were. We got home and went to bed, with my alarm clock set for school the next morning. I dreamed about a preview to Catching Fire. It had a duck in it. I don’t know why. Probably because it was three in the morning.

I guess my whole point is that the books are amazing, the movie was amazing, and everyone should see the movie and read the books. I’ve read them about ten times myself. No exaggerating. My parents read them first, and when I turned eleven they handed me the first book in the series. It was the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Bravo, Suzanne Collins. Thank you for creating a story with a lead character I can relate to. Katniss isn’t obsessed with fashion and makeup and boys. She’s most comfortable outside in nature. She thinks. She cares about other people, and she’s loyal to those she loves. From your biggest fan, Bravo!

Sailor Nichols, 12, attends school in Gwinnett County. Her mother, Raven Nichols, is a freelancer with Patch.

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