Chapter one summary
Katniss Everdeen awakes in the home she shares with her younger sister Prim and her emotionally distant mother. Her father died five years ago in a mine explosion. It is the day of the reaping, which will take place at 2 pm. They live in District Twelve, or the Seam, populated mostly by coal miners. The entire settlement is encased in a tall fence to keep out predators, but Katniss goes through the fence often to hunt in the woods with her friend Gale. She is able to hunt using survival skills and a bow that her father made for her. Katniss makes money by selling in the black market, called the Hob. Though Katniss and Gale look alike they are not related. Most residents of the Seam have dark hair, though Prim and her mother have blond hair. Gale and Katniss are the breadwinners in their families, so they cannot run away to avoid the reaping. They harvest strawberries and take them to the mayor's house and encounter Madge, who is dressed for the reaping. Gale is annoyed because Madge has little chance of being chosen. Every child has their name entered in the drawing once a year between the ages of twelve and eighteen, but may enter their names more times in exchange for food, grain, and oil. During the reaping ceremony, the mayor reads the story of Panem, which rose from the ashes of North America and is ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol defeated twelve districts during the Dark Days and destroyed the thirteenth. The Hunger Games are punishment for the uprisings of the Dark Days. Effie Trinket is the representative from the Capitol, and she draws the first name for the Games: Primrose Everdeen.
Chapter two summary
In chapter two, Katniss volunteers herself as a tribute to spare Prim. Though Effie Trinket congratulates Katniss on being in the spirit of the Games, no one in the audience claps out of respect. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. Against the instructions of his mother, Peeta