The first book in this series, Gone, by Michael Grant was my favourite book of last year. This second episode was nearly as good as the first. It didn’t have the same ‘Wow’ factor as the first, as all of the main ideas had been pretty well established in the first book, but once again I found myself quickly drawn into the tiny world of the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) and the plight of its inhabitants. Set three months after the events of book one, the children have now all but run out of food and are beginning to starve – hence the title. Tensions run deep as the young people try to stay alive. The writing in this book is as gripping as it was in the first and I skipped through this fairly weighty tome in just two days – great fun.

My main observations on Hunger are:

1. Read Gone first. This book could stand alone, but you would miss a huge chunk of important back story.

2. The ending in this book felt weaker than the first and a little bit rushed. It wasn’t a bad ending, but the story suffered a little from ‘middle book syndrome’. How do you effectively write a story that is self contained and yet fits neatly between other stories? It’s not easy, and Michael Grant has done a pretty good job of it, but I’m hoping that he won’t try to drag the series out too long. The setting for this is brilliant, but I’d like to see him head towards a conclusion.

I highly recommend this series as a gripping read for both girls and boys who like action/thrillers and don’t mind a touch of science fiction. It is right up there at the top of my recent recommends list for 12+ readers.

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