The Hunger Games: Chapters 16-18

Chapter 16 Summary:

The girls eat 2 eggs that Rue found
Kat learns more about Careers’ camp from Rue
They leave a boy in charge of guarding their food
Kat thinks something’s fishy about that
Rue says she loves music, singing with mockingjays
Kat gets Rue set up, and goes off to Careers’ camp
Rue first teaches Kat her mockingjay signal – says to sing it to indicate she’s OK, but can’t get back to Rue
Kat sets off, sees Careers’ camp – sees 4 tributes
Supplies are spread out around the perimeter, Kat’s suspicious
Might be booby-trapped
Meanwhile, Rue lights a fire, Careers see it, argue whether the boy guarding should come with them or not
We learn that Peeta is alive, but wounded by Careers
They all go, say they’re out to kill “her” (Kat)
A girl named Foxface suddenly appears, and tiptoes across the Careers’ camp and steals enough food to not tip them off
Kat realizes the land is mined
She shoots 3 arrows at a bag of apples, apples spill out, Kat’s blown backwards into the air (she was trying to set off the mine to destroy their food)

Chapter 17 Summary:

There are many explosions, they last around 1 minute, all is destroyed in the Careers’ camp
Kat wants to escape, but is disoriented, can’t walk or hear properly
She starts to crawl, a few more stray mines go off
Boys return, angry, Kat’s hiding, boys look for anything to salvage – nothing – they kill District 3 boy (the one who set up the mines)
Hovercraft retrieves the boy, and we find out another boy died today also
Careers go to hunt, Kat hides
8 tributes left
Kat doesn’t have her sleeping bag anymore, so she makes a bed, sleeps
Wakes up, hears something (she’s happy to know that she has hearing back in her right ear at least)
Foxface is at destroyed camp, collects a metal pot and knife
Foxface hears something, takes off
Kat starts to try to make her way back to Rue, gets there, no Rue
Kat decides to go looking for her – goes to place where Rue was to set off the 3^rd fire. She leaves mint leaves on ground as a signal to Rue that she’d been there
Kat realizes that the 3^rd fire never got lit
Kat hears mockingjay’s tune – she knows Rue’s alright
Then Kat hears a scream, sees Rue caught in a net, then a spear goes into Rue

Chapter 18 Summary:

Kat shoots arrow at boy who speared Rue, he dies
She goes to Rue, asks if there are others, she nods no
Rue is badly injured, asks Kat to sing to her
Mockinjay repeats the song
Rue dies
Kat thinks of Peeta’s words from earlier, about not wanting to be “owned” by the Capitol – she finally understands his words
Kat goes into woods, gathers flowers, lays them on Rue
A silver parachute falls – loaf of bread –Kat recognizes it as something from District 11 – unusual to give a gift outside of own District, knows it was meant for Rue
Kat climbs tree, falls asleep. 6 tributes left
Next day, takes inventory of supplies, decides she needs to hunt
Starts a fire, cooks birds she’s shot, hoping to attract visitors, but no one comes
Suddenly, trumpets are heard, then an announcement
They’re calling the tributes together for a banquet (there might be a feast, or one loaf of bread…)
Kat wants to go – not for food, but to take out a few competitors
Claudius Templesmith does not announce a feast, but rather a change in the rules
He announces that BOTH tributes from any given District can win the Games together
Kat calls out Peeta’s name

STUDENT FOLLOW-UPS:

CHAPTER 16 FOLLOW UP:

CHAPTER 17 FOLLOW UP:

Katniss shouts Rue’s name so she knows that Rue’s near, but why else did Kat shout out her name?
Find 5 tricky vocabulary words, and write each of them in a sentence of your own.

CHAPTER 18 FOLLOW UP:

Kat remembers Peeta’s words on the roof: “Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” And for the first time, I understand what he means. What happened to make Kat understand Peeta’s words? What did she mean?
What major event happened that changed the rules of the Games? How do you think this will affect both Kat and Peeta?

WANT MORE?

As always, playing math games at home is a great way to reinforce math skills learned in school.
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