Hunger Games Fans?

For those of you out there who might be Hunger Games fans, I have big news. The third (and final) book in the trilogy, which will be released in August, now has a name: Mockingjay. (It has previously been referred to as Hunger Games Book 3.) It also has a cover, featuring, you guessed it a mockingjay. I like the symmetry between three book covers. On the cover of book 1 you have Katniss' gold mockingjay pin, on Catching Fire you have a more realistic looking mockingjay which looks as though it is attempting to fly free of the wheel [of fate?] it's attached to, and the third book shows a real mockingjay completely free. My friend, another Young Adult Librarian, took issue with the background color, saying the sky blue was too optimistic for the series, but I kind of like it. Fans of the series are already looking to the cover for clues as to who Katniss will ultimately end up with; fellow contestant and baker's son Peeta Mellark or childhood friend/hunting partner Gale Hawthorne. I'm not sure how much I'm able to read into the cover about this, at all, but that's just me.

So what about you guys? Are you Team Peeta? Team Gale? I find this blog entry entertaining, and the casting (for the upcoming Hunger Games movie) spot on. I'm going to start reading Catching Fire next week, but as of this moment, I must confess I am a big Team Peeta fan. Coincidentally, we recently got Catching Fire here at the Tucker Free Library, so stop by and check it out.

If you're looking for more information about the release of the third book and it's cover, check out publisher's weekly article here.