This lesson is going to be quite a bit shorter than the others, considering we're just going to give basic plot summaries for each of the three novels and films we will be covering.
The Hunger Games (2008) The Hunger Games begins long after the devastating effects of climate change and war has affected the entire world, and the population of the human race has been greatly diminished. The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The 'tributes' are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.
When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.
The Maze Runner (2009) The story takes place in a distant future where most of the Earth's population has been decimated by a combination of massive solar flares and a devastating, man-made plague known as The Flare. The story itself follows Thomas, an incredibly intelligent teenager, who wakes up in a lift one day with no memory of the past; the only thing he does remember is his name. When the lift comes to a halt, the doors open and Thomas finds himself surrounded by around fifty teenaged boys; like Thomas none of them have any memory of life before the Glade. All they do remember are their names. Surrounded by extremely high stone walls covered in thick ivy, the Glade is a large square piece of land with a few wood and concrete buildings. In each of the surrounding four walls, there is a narrow opening. Over the course of the next few days, Thomas learns that behind the walls is the Maze - a labyrinth structure filled with various dangers; the Glade lies at the center of the Maze. It also contains an exit, a way home. Getting through the maze is the only way out, the only way to get home, but there's a problem. No one’s ever made it through alive. Not only is the maze massive, but there are dangerous creatures called Grievers who roam the maze at night. The doors to the maze close at night to keep the Gladers safe, but if you get left in the maze once the doors are shut - if you can't navigate your way back to the Glade - you're on your own. On the same day every month, the lift brings a new male arrival. Things change, though, when the lift activates for a second time just a few short days after Thomas arrives. This time it consists of something completely different. A girl. The first one in the maze since it's inception. The message she carries with her, though, is the truly terrifying part for the boys: "She's the last one. Ever."
Divergent (2011) In this dystopian Chicago world, society has been divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. Candor value honesty, Abnegation value selflessness, Dauntless value bravery, Amity value peace, and Erudite value intelligence. On an appointed day each year, all sixteen-year-olds must choose in which faction they will spend the rest of their lives. For Beatrice Prior, whom the story revolves around, the choice she must make is between staying with her family in the faction she grew up in and being who she truly is; she can’t have both. The choice she makes surprises everyone, including herself. Throughout the story, Beatrice discovers unrest and growing conflict within this seemingly perfect world that threatens to unravel their society. She also learns that the secret she's been keeping herself might help her save those she loves . . . but it could also put herself and the ones she loves in extraordinary danger.