Creature magic!

THE HUNGER GAMES
AUTHOR: SUZANNE COLLINS
SCHOLASTIC, RS.250/-, PP.374

This New York Times bestseller is an intensely exciting story of survival in a harsh futuristic scenario. In this terrible world of the distant future, civilisation as we know it now, has been destroyed. In the ruins of a land which was once known as North America, the nation of Panem has risen. A shining Capitol is surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol ruthlessly keeps the Districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl to take part in the annual Hunger games, a fight to the death on live reality TV. Contenders are forced to try to survive on their own in the wilderness, with everyone else determined to kill them. Sixteen-year-old Katniss comes forward to take her sister's place in the Games, accepting it as a sentence for certain death. Katniss has had close shaves with death before, and managed to survive by her wits. So, she feels more suited than her sister as a contender. To survive and win, she faces harsh choices. Can she turn against humanity to survive? Will she be forced to cling to life by giving up on love?

This action packed adventure probes the effects of war and violence on young minds. Every young reader will enjoy this perfect mix of suspense, philosophy, action and romance.

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY
AUTHOR: ANSHUMANI RUDDRA
ILLUSTRATIONS: PRIYA KURIYAN
SCHOLASTIC RS.90/-  PAGES 69

This is an interesting and innovative fantasy adventure where readers will be engrossed by fascinating action. Best of all, they will actually get to take sides, choose courses of action, and determine how the story unfolds.

Are you a Knight of Order duty bound to find peaceful resolutions to problems at hand? Or will you take the role of a Crusader of Chaos who is privileged to spread more chaos?

Choose wisely, for the choices you make will determine the twists and turns this fascinating gamebook takes. The Mission codename; Land of the Rising Sun. A young woman, a reincarnation of the goddess of the Sun, has turned into a stone statue while looking up at the sun from the streets of Tokyo. As a result, the earth has stopped rotating on its own axis, and day and night have become complete bunkum.

The sun is stuck right above Japan, making the country stuck in permanent day while the rest of the world is mired in everlasting night. The dead, old warriors and magical beings, are rising. . Join assassin agent PRD Jhabvala and seek the assistance of the analysts, one million baboons with one million touch screen state of the art supercomputers to decide how to save the world. You can read this exciting story many times and explore its multiple possibilities and endings.

Take different options and get a fresh new ending each time. You can go on the mission or alone, or team up with friends. This action-packed and fun filled adventure can keep young readers hooked tackling giant lizards, djinns and various poikilothermic creatures.

Monideepa Sahu