Eric Xue

Book Review – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes By: Eric Xue The book, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in the Hunger Games series, is an amazing book to read. Two young tributes are selected from each district to compete in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is basically a fight to the death. The audience and mentors are allowed to give the tributes food and water, so they don’t die of hunger and thirst. SPOILER ALERT! Coriolanus Snow is one of the smartest students at the Academy. He is selected to be a mentor at the 10th Hunger Games. His tribute is Lucy Gray Baird, and he falls in love with her when he meets her. He really wants her to win the Hunger Games because he wants to win the Plinth Prize to go to university for free. The strengths of this book are that the main character, Coriolanus Snow, is well respected because he is related to one of the people who helped form the capitol. He is also very loyal to his friends and doesn’t want them to get in trouble. Some weaknesses are that the Snow family has fallen on some hard times, and it is not easy for them to earn money. Because Coriolanus cheated in the games to help his tribute, Lucy Gray, he is forced to become a peacekeeper. Snow’s family is then kicked out of their apartment because they couldn’t pay their taxes on time. I would recommend this book for pre-teens because it is very exciting and emotional. It was exceptionally emotional when Snow’s best friend, Sejanus got hanged.