2. About the Author:
Suzanne Collins
Starting in 1991 Collins has been busy writing for children’s television; including many
Nickelodeon shows. Collins also co-wrote the Christmas special, Santa, Baby! She has been the
head writer of Clifford’s Puppy Days and a freelancer on the kid’s TV show, Wow, Wow, Wubbzy.
While working on a TV show one of her co-workers convinced her to give writing children’s books
a try. Collin’s most famous teen/preteen trilogy is The Hunger Games which include: The Hunger
Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. She has also written a popular fantasy series called The
Underland Chronicles. The Underland Chronicles started when she was thinking about Alice and
Wonderland and what Alice would find after she fell down the hole and did not find a tea party.
Suzanne currently lives in the state of Connecticut with her family and kittens.
http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/bio.htm
3. Mockingjay summary
In Mockingjay, it’s rebels against the Capitol. All the districts, except
for District Two, are fighting for no Hunger Games and no President
Snow. Katniss has decided that she will be the Mockingjay and lead the
rebels in battle. During the thrilling novel, Katniss enters many battle
grounds. Peeta is being tortured by President Snow. They rescue him but
he comes back different and they realize that Snow injected him with
Trackerjacker poison so he only remembers bad memories about Katniss
and he tries to strangle her. The doctors finally cure him so he remembers
Katniss the way he used to. Katniss begins to train for war herself. She
goes into battle with Peeta, Gale, and members of her protection and
camera crew. They travel through the districts until they reach the Capitol.
Will the rebels win? Will they take down the Capitol? Will President Snow
live? Will Katniss and Peeta survive? Read Mockingjay to find out.
4. Main Characters
Katniss Everdeen- Katniss is brave, strong and courteous. She cares
about her sister, Prim, and does everything she can to protect her.
Katniss has long brown hair which she puts up in her regular braid, and
she is skinny because of lack of food. She is 17 and her and Peeta are in
love.
Peeta Mellark- Peeta is strong, sweet and caring. He looks out for Katniss
and makes sure she is not in danger. He is a great painter and loves to
make Katniss laugh. Peeta has blond hair and blue eyes, and he is
muscular from Hunger Games training and working at his family’s bakery.
Gale Hawthorne- Gale is strong, careful, and protective of Katniss. He
treats her as a sister even though he secretly likes her. Gale and Katniss
are hunting partners and he teaches Katniss about snares and traps. He
uses a bow and arrow like Katniss. Gale has dark brown hair and is
muscular from hunting and working in the coal mines, which is District
12’s industry.
5. Main Characters
(continued)
President Coin- President Coin is the president of District 13. She secretly
does not like Katniss but loves Peeta.
President Snow- He is old and evil. He has white hair and glasses. Snow
is the President of Panem.
6. Supporting Characters
Haymitch- Haymitch was Katniss’s and Peeta’s mentor during both of the
games. He is addicted to white liquor. He talks to Katniss through a
earpiece and he instructs her in which direction to go and what had been
blown up in the area they were in during battle. He has long, ragged, and
knotted blond hair and blue eyes.
Plutarch Huckabee- He is a head gamemaker and he works with Coin in
Command. He convinces Katniss to become the Mockingjay.
Primrose (Prim) Everdeen - Prim is Katniss’s sister and she works as an
assistant nurse in District 13’s Hospital. She is fourteen and has a cat
named Buttercup.
7. Plot Diagram
Introduction- Mockingjay starts with Katniss visiting District 12 after it
burned to ashes after the Capitol dropped bombs on it. Prim and her
mother are safe in District 13 while Peeta’s family and the bakery
perished in the bombing. President Snow is holding Peeta captive. While
all this is happening, they are fighting a war against the Capitol, so there
will be no Hunger Games anymore.
Rising Action- District 13 sends out a rescue team and rescues Peeta.
The Capitol had tortured Peeta with Trackerjacker poison so he hates
Katniss. When he sees her for the first time Peeta tries to strangle her.
Fortunately, the doctors treat Peeta and he remembers Katniss for who
she really is.
Climax- Katniss agrees with Plutarch and Coin that she will be the
Mockingjay for the rebels. She will lead the rebels in battle.
8. Plot Diagram
(continued)
Falling Action- Katniss, Peeta, and some of their remaining camera crew reach
the Snow’s mansion. There are children surrounding the mansion creating
Snow’s human shield. Suddenly, a hovercraft drops survival parachutes. The
children grab them excitedly trying to pry open to see what lays inside. Then
the parachutes explode into fiery balls. Katniss sees a glimpse of a young girl
with a blond braid going down her back. It was Prim. Prim’s gaze reaches her
eyes. Then the rest of the parachutes go off and Prim is engulfed in flames. It
takes Katniss a while to realize that she is also on fire. Katniss wakes up in a
Capitol hospital badly burned.
Conclusion- Katniss’s doctor informs her that the rebels won the war the day
the parachutes went off. President Coin leads Panem now and Snow is being
held captive and will be executed. Peeta is alive. Plutarch tells Katniss that she
can personally execute Snow. The day of the execution, Katniss pulls back her
bow, and shoots Coin dead instead. Snow laughs and begins to cough out
blood. Snow bends forward and the blood spews out of him and he dies.
9. New Vocabulary
Pallor- n. Deficiency of color especially of the face. There’s something in
his voice that makes me believe him, and the pallor look on Fulvia’s face
confirms it. Pg. 48.
Influx- n. A coming in. Have these precautions been put in place because
of the recent influx of immigrants? Pg. 67.
Cease-fire- n. A military order to cease firing. “I want to tell the people that
if you think for one second the Capitol will treat us failry if there’s a cease-
fire than your deluding yourself. Pg. 99.
Subtleties- n. The quality of being subtle. It’s a shade too sincere, but the
subtleties of irony are often wasted in 13. Pg. 138
Dubious- adj. Giving rise to uncertainty. The only dubious ray of hope has
come from my sister. Pg. 195.
14. I chose the song “Battlefield” by Jordan Sparks for the scene where the
parachutes blow up in the Capitol. I thought this was a good choice
because Katniss is battling the loss of her sister .
Battlefield
By: Jordan Sparks
Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute it's love
And suddenly it's like a battlefield
One word turns into a war
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down?
My world's nothing when you don't
I'm not here without a shield
Can't go back now
Both hands, tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
Why we gotta fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?
Why does love always feel like a battlefield
A battlefield, a battlefield?