TEEN BOOK CLUB KITS
Collins, Suzanne
Mockingjay
Summary:
Having survived the Hunger Games twice before, Katniss Everdeen is lucky to be alive. However, she is far from safe. With the Capitol and President Snow blaming her for the strife plaguing District 12, Katniss must sacrifice herself to protect her loved ones. This title is recommended for ages 7 and up.
Genre: Science Fiction, Survival Skills, Dystopian Fiction
Awards:
2010 Kirkus Best Book of the Year
2010 NPR Best Book of the Year
2011 YALSA’S Teen Top Ten Book
2010 Nebula Award Winner
Kit Contents:
5 Copies of Mockingjay
1 Audio Book Copy of Mockingjay * (10 CDs)
1 Discussion Guide. This discussion guide contains discussion questions, activities and other information to foster discussion of this book. You will also find information on starting and running a book club, earning a scout badge, and other information. You may make copies of any of these materials. Please do not write on these materials and return all pages, books, and contents of this kit.
*A downloadable audio version of Mockingjay is available to check out and download at www.ebtpl.org [1].
If you liked The Hunger Game Trilogy, you might like these books:
TEEN FICTION AND
Feed [2] by M. T. Anderson
TEEN FICTION BER
Exodus [3] by Julie Bertagna
TEEN FICTION CAR
Ender’s Game [4] by Orson Scott Card
TEEN FICTION DAS
Maze Runner [5] by James Dashner
TEEN FICTION DOC
Little Brother [6] by Cory Doctorow
TEEN FICTION NES
The Knife of Never Letting Go [7] by Patrick Ness
Mockingjay Discussion Questions
There are no right or wrong answer to these questions. Just think about and respond thoughtfully. Please share your own group’s discussion questions and comments by emailing hoskinsb@btpl.org [8]. Be sure to check the library’s teen pages at www.btpl.org [9] for additional questions and comments from other book groups.
These questions were issued by the Scholstic, Inc., the publisher of Mockingjay. A full discussion guide is available here [10].
1. What is Katniss’s greatest challenge when she returns to see the ruins of her home? What is the meaning of the rose she finds on her dresser? Why does she keep repeating facts about herself?
2. Why does Katniss take the cat Buttercup back to District 13? What role does Buttercup play in the story in later chapters?
3. What is the first reaction Katniss has to the people of District 13? What makes her say, “In some ways District 13 is even more controlling than the Capitol”?
4. What influences her decision to become the Mockingjay? Why does Katniss have to ask for conditions once she agrees to take on the role of Mockingjay?
5. Discuss the feelings between Katniss and Coin. Why do they distrust each other from the beginning? How does Coin treat the conditions that Katniss demands for being the Mockingjay? Is Katniss really a threat to Coin’s power?
6. Compare the reactions of Katniss and Gale to the imprisonment and treatment of Katniss’s prep team, Venia, Octavia, and Flavius. How does this reflect on both of them? What is the difference between the prep team and the filming crew—Cressida, Mesalla, Castor, and Pollux—who are also from the Capitol?
7. What was necessary for Katniss to create a truly effective “propo” for the rebellion? Why didn’t the first idea work? Why does Haymitch say, “That is how a revolution dies”? After the taping in District 8, what does Katniss mean when she says, “I have a kind of power I never knew I possessed”?
8. Discuss the role of television “propaganda” in today’s society and the techniques that are used to influence our thinking. How do these techniques compare to those used by the Capitol and the rebels in Mockingjay?
9. Why did Plutarch cover up Katniss and Gale’s insubordination in District 8 during the taping? What is the effect of the “propo” on the rebellion in other districts? Why are the “propos” so vital to the rebellion? What effect do Katniss and the Mockingjay symbolism have on those fighting against the Capitol and those in the Capitol?
10. Discuss the role of music in this book. What is the significance of the “Hanging Tree” song? How many ways does the song play a part in the story? How does it connect Katniss and Peeta to their past and their future? Research the song “Strange Fruit” sung by Billie Holiday and discuss its aimilarities and differences to Katniss’s song.
11. Discuss the changing nature of the relationship between Katniss and Gale. What does Gale say is the“only way I get your attention”? Did Katniss ever love Gale the way he wants her to love him? Does he truly love her?
12. Discuss the changing nature of Prim’s role in the story, as she grows older. Identify times when Prim helps Katniss when no one else can.
13. Why do the rebels decide to rescue Peeta? Discuss the effects of the “hijacking” of Peeta’s brain. Discuss Katniss’s comment, “It’s only now that he’s been corrupted that I can fully appreciate the real Peeta.” What is the significance of the pearl she keeps?
14. Why are Finnick and Johanna important to Katniss? Discuss her relationship to each of them and how they help her prepare for the final fight. What is the effect of Finnick’s “propo” about his treatment by President Snow?
15. When Katniss learns of the work Gale is doing with Beetee, using the psychology of trapping as much as the mechanics, she says to Gale, “Seems to be crossing some kind of line.” Gale’s reply is that they are “following the same rule book President Snow used.” Do the ends in this battle justify the means, as Gale seems to imply?
16. Why is it so hard for Katniss to accept Gale’s idea for trapping the workers inside the Nut (“I can’t condemn someone to the death he’s suggesting”)? What does she mean when she says to the wounded man in the square, “I’m tired of being a piece in their Games”? How many ways does the invasion of the Capitol remind Katniss of the Games?
17. Discuss Katniss’s feelings of guilt and insecurity when confronting Peeta. What makes her say, “Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly”? What makes her think the worst of herself?
18. What are Coin’s motives in ordering Peeta to join Katniss’s squad in the Capitol? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having him on the squad? When Boggs transfers the holo to Katniss, why does he say, “Don’t trust them”? Whom does he mean?
19. Do you believe it was the rebels who killed the children with the exploding parachutes? If so, how does that make you feel about whether this was justified as a means of winning the war?
20. Why does Paylor allow Katniss to enter the rooms where Snow is being held? Does she know that Snow will reveal to Katniss the role of the rebels in Prim’s death? Did Snow tell Katniss the truth?
21. Why did Katniss vote for another Hunger Games? To save the lives of more people? Or did she secretly anticipate sabotaging the plan?
22. Why does Katniss assassinate Coin? Does she do it to avenge Prim, or because she believes it is for the greater good of the country, or both? How does Katniss escape retribution for Coin’s death?
Questions comparing all three novels in the Hunger Games Trilogy
What are the forces that contribute to the rebellion in Catching Fire? Were they already starting to happen in The Hunger Games? What clues can you find in the first two books that the rebellion is underway? Did you as a reader believe in the existence of District 13 before experiencing it in Mockingjay? Do you think Katniss, Peeta, and Gale believed in it?
Why are all citizens of Panem required to watch The Hunger Games on television? How does this affect the people? Why haven’t they rebelled earlier against the brutality of the Games? What is the importance of the propos that are created for the rebellion in Mockingjay and the way they are used? Discuss the effect of television and reality TV in your own life.
Compare the society in Panem (the government, its tight control on the population, and the forces for the rebellion) to others that you have studied or encountered in books or films. Consider historical and contemporary nations as well as fictional worlds. What does Panem have in common with these cultures, and how does it differ? What can we learn about our own world from studying and reading about historical and fictional societies?
Research the symptoms and treatment of PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder). How is this condition portrayed in The Hunger Games trilogy? Discuss the many ways it can appear in real life. How does Katniss counteract her symptoms? How does each of the tributes that have been in the arena cope with these symptoms?
Discuss the concept of Panem et Circenses that Plutarch explains to Katniss. What is the effect of easy food and entertainment on the citizens of the Capitol? How does this society compare to that of the Roman Empire? Why do the districts in Panem have no concept of history before “The Dark Days”?
Discuss the symbolism of fire throughout the series. How does Katniss change from the synthetic “girl on fire” created by Cinna for the opening ceremonies to the girl whose spirit “catches fire” for the rebellion to the girl who nearly dies by fire in the overthrow of the Capitol?
The poet Wilfred Owen wrote in the early 20th century, “My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity…. All a poet can do today is warn. That is why the true Poets must be truthful.” Discuss this quote in relation to Suzanne Collins’s writing about the war between the Capitol and the rebels. What warning must the people of Panem heed if their new government is to succeed? What
