Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)

Another incredible book for young adults, that sounded fresh to me. This takes the oft used post-apocalyptic scenario and combines it with reality shows of today. America is reduced to one wealthy city in Colorado and twelve outlying districts that each provide something for the common good. They each have to send a boy and a girl to play in the annual Hunger Games - a survivor type reality show, except the winner is the last person left alive. Our heroine Katniss comes from the impoverished coal mining area in the Appalachians. She has learned to hunt wild game to provide for her family, a skill that increases her chances of survival, but the officials who run the games always provide situations to challenge even the best contestants. There is an underlying theme of standing up to the oppressor, so I was thrilled (and a bit frustrated) when I read after the last page "end of book one."