Here's what Hugh (14), one of our teenage reviewers think of Hunger:
Hunger, like it’s prequel Gone, was unputdownable. It's an excellent follow-up to an original idea. More children are developing powers and the world inside the FAYZ is spinning out of control. New leaders emerge and the tensions rise. As the name ‘Hunger’ might suggest, the book it mainly about the fights that occur when the food is running out. Everyone is hungry, and not just the children. A strange creature is stirring in the dark, which is infiltrating and enslaving the minds of the children. New characters are introduced, and the struggle between the two brothers, Sam and Caine continues. But how many lives will be lost before one comes out on top? Hunger has a gripping plot and the reader can easily relate to all the well-developed characters. A brilliant read.
The complete list of books in this epic series is....
The clock is ticking for Sam Temple and the kids of Perdido Beach but it's not the big one-five that they face now; it's starvation that threatens the FAYZ. In an abandoned mine shaft a faceless animal lurks, pulling the strings, toying with human and mutant alike. And he's hungry - hungry in the darkness. An uneasy calm has settled over Perdido Beach. But soon, fear explodes into desperation as starvation sets in and the mob look to place blame. For the 'normals' the buck must stop somewhere: with the 'freaks'. More and more kids are developing strange powers and, just as frighteningly, so are the animals in the FAYZ: talking coyotes, swimming bats and deadly worms with razor-sharp teeth are just the beginning. For Sam Temple the strain of leadership is beginning to show and he's got more than just dwindling rations and in-fighting to worry about - Caine is back with the psychotic whiphand, Drake, by his side. And in the background lies the greatest danger of all - and he too needs to be fed.
Click here to see Michael Grant getting grilled by Lovereading4kids reporter Hugh from 2009.
'... exciting, high-tension story told in a driving, torrential narrative that never lets up. This is great fiction. I love this book.' - Stephen King, bestselling author
'A tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless.' - Booklist
'If Stephen King had written Lord of the Flies, it might have been a little like this.' - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)
Author
About Michael Grant
Michael Grant has always been fast paced. He’s lived in almost 50 different homes in 14 US states, and moved in with his wife, Katherine Applegate, after knowing her for less than 24 hours. His long list of previous occupations includes cartoonist, waiter, law librarian, bowling alley mechanic, restaurant reviewer, documentary film producer and political media consultant.
Michael and Katherine have co-authored more than 150 books, including the massive hit series Animorphs, which has sold more than 35 million copies. Working solo, Michael is the author of the internationally bestselling series GONE and the groundbreaking transmedia trilogy BZRK.
Michael, Katherine and their two children live in the San Francisco Bay Area, not far from Silicon Valley.
Q&A with Michael..
Where and when were you born?
Los Angeles California. There was a manger involved.
Where do you live and who with?
I live in Irvine, California, which is in “The OC” as we would say. I live with my wife, K.A. Applegate, and our two kids Jake, 11 (feet tall) and Julia, 9 (inches tall.) We have three pets: Goofy, a very large, very stupid, very sweet, poop-eating yellow Labrador; Pugs a nasty, hostile, ugly, yapping pug who I have not yet managed to kill; and Lightning, my daughter’s cat.
How did you first start writing?
My wife and I started writing together in 1989. At the time we were cleaning homes and offices for a living. Since then we’ve written over 150 books, sometimes together, sometimes separately, often under pseudonyms.
What inspires you?
Fear of having to get a real job. Oh, you mean artistically? I don’t know. I seem to be a compulsive writer. I like the rush of taking on something difficult, having no clear idea what I’m doing, and somehow pulling it off.
Have you won any awards for your work?
Fine, rub my nose in that. Great. Actually, the only award I have is a Pollie Award for political ads I produced for the Democrats a few years back.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Amused. Impatient. Political.
What do you do to relax?
Watch TV. Go to restaurants. I don’t find reading fiction relaxing, exactly, it’s too much like work. I tend to read history for relaxation.
