Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the penultimate stop on the Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour:
District 12
Despite this coal mining district’s status as one of the poorest in all of Panem, District 12 has no shortage of guts or glory. For the first time since Haymitch Abernathy’s win decades earlier in the 50th Games, for the first time since the inception of the annual Games District 12 has had not one, but TWO victors emerge from the Arena – Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
And, while other districts have shed light on everything from music to the romantic entanglements of The Hunger Games books, we District 12 Tributes bring you a look at the reason why these books are so resonan. We’re talking about the reason for the revolution, the symbol of defiance against the Capitol, the Mockingjay herself. We give you:
Katniss Everdeen
I am the mockingjay, The one that survived the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.
~ Catching Fire
A child of the Seam – one of the most dangerous and poorest areas in one of the country’s poorest districts – Katniss has had to fend for herself and for her loved ones from a young age. Following the death of her father in the coal mines and her mother’s subsequent breakdown, Katniss was forced to provide for her family, or starve. At twelve years old, Katniss started to put her name into the dreaded reaping lottery in exchange for tesserae:
Say you are poor and starving as we were. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year s supply of grain and oil for one person. You may do this for each of your family members as well. So, at the age of twelve, I had my name entered four times. Once, because I had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for myself, Prim, and my mother. In fact, every year I have needed to do this. And the entries are cumulative. So now, at the age of sixteen, my name will be in the reaping twenty times.
~ The Hunger Games
But even the meager tesserae was not enough to keep Katniss’s family fed and warm. To survive, Katniss learned to become an expert with her bow and arrow, sneaking out beyond the district’s fences to illegally hunt for food (and then to sell or trade some of that food for other goods on District 12′s black market).
For the 74th Hunger Games, when Katniss’s younger sister’s, Prim Everdeen’s, name was called at the Reaping as the female tribute from District 12, a horrified Katniss volunteered to take her younger sister’s place in the Games. Alongside the male tribute, Peeta Mellark, Katniss defied the Capitol by surviving the Arena not once, but twice – managing to stir up a rebellion in her wake.
So, why do we love Katniss so much?
1. Because she’s brave and stubbornly loyal – when her sister is called, Katniss steps in to take her place without a thought in her mind except to protect her family. Throughout the first book, her loyalty to her best friend Gale and her memory of her family is a driving force in the Arena.
2. Because she’s badass – the only Tribute to receive a score of 11 out of a possible 12 using her skills with a bow and arrow, Katniss is has mad skills hunting and trapping. Her survival in the Arena – in the Quarter Quell and the first Games – is testament to that ability to survive, and her determination to fight.
3. Because she is cunning and utterly capable – Badassness only gets one so far, and in order to survive the Games and the Capitol’s machinations, Katniss has not only had to be skilled; she’s also had to be smart, even ruthlessly so, to keep herself and those she cares about alive. Whether that means putting on a girly facade, hiding quietly in the background, or even killing, Katniss does what needs to be done.
4. Because, underneath it all, she has grown from completely clueless, to empowered and in control – in The Hunger Games and to a certain extent in Catching Fire, Katniss was completely clueless of her own worth and effect on people. (See revolution.) But by Mockingjay, she comes full circle – acting for herself, and taking control of a life that has been out of her hands for so long.
Over the course of the two books, Katniss has gone from a girl struggling to keep food on her family’s table to a Hunger Games tribute, victor, celebrity, and leader.
Regardless of where your loyalties lie concerning the romance, at least we can all agree on one thing: Katniss Everdeen is one awesome heroine. In a sea of bland, damsels in distress, existing simply to serve as arm candy for sparkly vampires, the calculating, defiant Katniss, bow and arrow in hand, stands triumphant.
“The question is, what are you going to do?”
It turns out the question that’s been eating away at me has only ever had one possible answer. But it took Peeta’s ploy for me to recognize it.
What am I going to do?
I take a deep breath. My arms raise slightly — as if recalling the black-and-white wings Cinna gave me — the come to rest at my sides.
“I’m going to be the Mockingjay.”
~Mockingjay
About Mockingjay:
The next and final stop on the Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour is at Beth Fish Reads on Monday, August 30th. Make sure to stop by for the chance to enter another awesome giveaway!
Also make sure to check out the official Hunger Games Facebook Page for more HG goodies, and for a list of the other stops on the blog tour to date. You can read our reviews of The Hunger Games HERE and Catching Fire HERE (a review of Mockingjay will be up shortly) – and for those diehard fans looking for what else to read now that the trilogy has come to a close, you can check out our post on Tor.com listing 10 helpful post-Mockingjay recommendations.
Finally, before the giveaway, we’d like to give a gentle reminder to every exuberant Hunger Games fan. Mockingjay officially hit stores on August 24th, and has begun receiving rave reviews. However, in all the excitement we’d like to remind everyone to please be respectful of your fellow readers – please remember to spoiler tag or refrain from spoilers altogether.
Giveaway Details:
For our stop on the tour, we have twenty-five Mockingjay iSkins up for grabs! (Please note, these are just the skins – not the actual iPod/iTouch/iPhones) The contest is open to addresses in the United States only, and will run until September 1 at 11:59 pm (PST). To enter, leave a comment here telling us why YOU think Katniss is an amazing heroine. Only ONE entry per person, please! Multiple comments from the same I.P. address will be automatically disqualified. Good luck!
In order to avoid another site meltdown, we ask that all new entries complete the form below. The same rules apply, and earlier entries will be fed into the same spreadsheet to select a winner. Good luck!
THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED HERE.
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288 Responses to Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour & Giveaway: District 12 (or, Why Katniss Rocks)
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I think she’s an amazing heroine because she’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. She very selfless and she won’t give up. In Catching Fire, she did everything she could to keep Peeta alive and she broke after she thought she had failed. In The Hunger Games, She made a promise to win for Rue and Prim, and she won for them. She knows what she wants and she won’t let anyone else interfere with what she KNOWS she wants.
Katniss is incredible because she reads people so well.
Everyone knows about her thousands of unspoken conversations with Haymitch–how those two get each other so well. Not only does Katniss understand Haymitch, but she also understands Peeta, Prim, her mother, Gale–the list goes on. Her incredible knack for understanding what people mean and are trying to tell her is a key element to her many successes.
The reasons of why she is an amazing person are too many for anyone person to mention without writing a book just on why she’s so great. but here are some(of the inifinite)reasons:
-she’s self-less(even though she wants to just leave and let the coins fall where they may. she sticks through, caring for her family,friends and others who she doesn’t really know.Few charecters(in books and real people) have even an ounce of what she has)
-she learns so fast and can adapt to practicaly any situation she’s thrown in.
-she has such a natural survival instinct(both in the wild and with other people)
—Overall she’s an amazing role model for everyone to follow—
I think Katniss is one awesome gal who is a great symbol for rebellion, because she really believes what she is fighting for.
Katniss was amazing from the beginning, while her mother was wasting away in depression and her sister Prim was too young to do anything for the family. Katniss stepped up and fought to keep her family alive. She didn’t even hesitate to sacrifice herself in order to take Prim’s spot in the Games. Her natural gift to survive in the harshest conditions was monumental in her survival in the Games and life in district 12. She continuously shines as a beacon of inspiration and hope for the oppressed districts.
I think Katniss is a heroine because she never shows fear! She always keeps her composure even though the inside of her is freaking out!
I think Katniss is the one of the best heroines I’ve ever read about in YA. While she’s very damaged from the life she’s endured, she remains strong and sticks to what she’s trying to achieve, no matter what. Immediately after her father died and her mother became distant, she stepped up to the plate and took responsiblity and I believe that shows what kind of person she is. She’s honest–brutally honest–and I like that about her. She doesn’t need to constantly be saved from herself or the danger she faces. She’s pretty badass, what with her skills with the bow and arrow and the way she takes out the other Tributes in the Games. And she’s always unpredictable. Like many of things she did in Mockingjay, well, they surprised the pants off of me. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book character more than I do Katniss. Well, besides Prim.
Great post and giveaway!
katniss is awesome because she sticks to what she thinks is right, she’s loyal, and she’s not afraid to admit it when she doesn’t know what to do.
Katniss? God you dont get braver then her. She can do anything and with such strong conviction.
I think what really drew me to Katniss in this series was her determination and strength. The fact that she survived the Hunger Games twice is astounding, and that she had the will to do so made me really respect her. Also, not everyone could be so courageous as to volunteer themselves to save their sisters life, and by trying to save her family’s life through the years as she hunted illegally in the woods, signed up for the tesserae numerous times, and generally supported them when her mother couldn’t. Adding this to the fact that she IS a badass (what with her amazing bow, knife, and snare skills) and her cunning thinking, Katniss is a really ideal example of feminism at it’s best! Katniss can do anything and more than most men can do, and I love that she is not just sitting on the sidelines and waiting to be rescued. Taking advantage of these aspects she became an amazing and fearless leader for the rebellion, giving everyone strength and hope. All girls should say they want to be Katniss when they grow up :)!
I began to love Katniss when she took Prim’s place.
She is so strong even in the face of her worst nightmares.
Katniss grew on me as I was with her in the arena.
She grew on me as she began to fall for Peeta.
I cried when she decided to be the Mockingjay.
Even though I hated Mockingjay, Katniss’ character grew a lot in the third book. In the past few years I’ve seen her grow from a scared kid who only wants to protect her family, to a wonderfully strong, loyal woman leading her country in rebellion.
She will always be one of my favorite literary characters of all time.
Go Katniss!
I’ve loved Katniss from the beginning… because of her mental attitude and morals.
I’m not sure how, but during the first chapter of The Hunger Games the first time I read it through I imagined Katniss as a male. Just a more empowered and in control figure and that Gale was her best friend with no love interest in mind.
I’ve also decided long ago what I would name a male child of mine, but now I know the Christian name I’m going to give a female child if I have the opportunity: Katniss.
Katniss does the best she can under the circumstances. This does not meant that she does everything perfectly or knows what to do and when to do it. Even though she’s made older due to her upbringing, she’s still a teen and acts like one at times. All this makes her a good character that the readers can sympathize with and relate to (which is good because she’s the one through whom we get to know her world).
I think Katniss is wonderful because of her power to continually find and fight for that and those whom she loves. The majority of the other fighters have become desensitized, and simply view the plight of Panem as sad. Katniss however, despite being tough, is so irrefutably kind that each wounded child, each bombed building rekindles her passion for the people and reminds her why she fights. Moreover, she uses this passion to fight for the people of Panem, not for herself.
I honestly love Katniss for her strength, and how she’s not always perfect. She makes mistakes, and I think that’s what really made me like her- that she’s just human, like all the rest of us
Katniss is amazing cause she has her undying love for ppeta and gale at the same time… THAT LITTLE TWO-TIMER. LOL JK
She was brave!! I mean, she took her sister’s place!! I loove that!
I love Katniss because she’s strong and has been able to handle everything that is thrown at her. She is her own person and stands up for what she believes in even if it could get her killed.
I think Katniss is an amazing heroine because of her intelligence and strength (both physical and mental). No matter what is thrown at her she figures a way to continue on. I really like her.
I love her determination. Once she decides what she wants to do, nothing stops her and I admire that.
Katniss is an amazing heroine because she is the realization of what every girl hopes to become. She is strong, brave, beautiful and powerful, making sure that everyone around her is aware that she can take care of herself and her loved ones without hesitation. Katniss is a brilliant heroine fit for a brilliant book series like The Hunger Games.
omg i love katniss she’s strong willed, honorable, and tough . she scared of doing a few things but she always does good in the end
she has the guts i only wish i had and the courage to take on wolves.
Because she is willing to sacrifice her life to save her loved ones. She proved this when she signed up for tesserae, when she goes hunting illegally, goes to the black market, put her self in the hunger games to save prim, plays along in the games, and that’s just in the first book.
Katniss isn’t just a great herorine. She is an extraordinaire herorine. When I first read the Hunger Games I could feel her pain, her emotions, her world crumbling down. But she faced it, her destiny, and made it something great. Her love for Prim is incredible, she just has so much love in her heart that she shares it with everyone. She also sorta loves Buttercup. She is the best big sister in the world. Peeta hs two older brothers, one was too old and the other one was just plain scared, to really do what Katniss did for Prim. She is the perfect example of a strong young woman evolving in to an adult. At first I hated her character, but then I saw her yelling to be a volunteer and thats when the book and her mind grabbed me an didn’t let go untill I finished. All I have written is what makes her an extraordinaire herorine! Go Katniss!
She is brave and couragous. She pulls through whatever problems she faces. She is an amazing teen with wicked talent!! She is always keeping her family in mind-not herself, just like me. I love Katniss!:)
Katniss can’t be described in a few words, she’s just too amazing. She’s witty, caring, determained and just straight up awesome. the way she things is just…whoa. I don’t even know. I wish I could be more like her because she is brave and still loving. She’s way different from any character I have ever read. Now that the hunger games book series is over I will miss her
Katniss is awesome because she is caring and has a sweet shot with her bow
I love Katniss because she’s her own person. No one can stop her from doing something she knows is right.
Katniss is awesome because she had serious skills, and is so willing to fight for what’s important to her. Whether it be Prim, Peeta, Gale, or anyone else, she’s willing to go out, risk everything, just to save them.
I think this is a trick question. Katniss isn’t a heroine. That’s what makes this story so irresistible. She is very normal and uses skills that she has learned from childhood. It is everyone’s persona of her that makes her a heroine. But in reality she makes mistakes, kills, loves, laughs and looses. Just like a normal human being.
Katniss is a gem among heroines and always will have a place in Americas heart because she has told us what north America will become if we don’t change. She never backs down to a fight, if she doesn’t know what’s going on she won’t just stand and ask she will act like she knows what she is doing and will soon figure it out. Always will Katniss be the heroine of the hunger games no matter who wins because she did more than survive, she witnessed hurt, pain, ambition, love, and loss all that is weight upon her shoulders and her only way to get rid of that weight is to destroy the Capitol and the hunger games. When she does that all of that weight is destroyed along with it and she has freedom and victory!!!!
Katniss is an amazing character because she is very relatable. She goes through tough times, but even while making mistakes, learns and get’s through it. She is very loyal to her family and will do anything for them which is something we can all relate too.
ALthough I haven’t read mockingjay yet
I still think Katniss is the best character. K, she can obviously fend for herself. She is cool, doesnt procrasanate, (which believe me, i’m an authority on) and she’s again, cool. she fights for her loved ones(FYI Gale, her family, Peeta, district 12,) she doesnt always kiss people kin Finick or the careers buts, se instead befriends people like Nuts and Volts, or Beetee and Wiress.
And of cours, shes a good shooter
and her suits are preety cool (Kudos to Cinna) theyre hot, … just like her!!
I think Katniss is a terrific heroine because she she shows young readers that young women can be strong, smart, and independant. As a mother of two daughters, that is priceless!!
Katniss makes a great heroine because there’s almost no other heroine like her. She’s strong, smart, and independent. I got my little sister reading the series mostly because Katniss is a good role model. She’s not perfect, but she works hard at everything she does.
I love Katniss for many reasons, the ones stated and mony others, some of which are that she cares so much for the people around her (Prim, her mother, Peeta, Gale, Cinna) and will do everything in her power to protect them, even if it means giving her own life. She is such a devoted and powerful individual, and there’s not one better suited to lead the rebellion!
TEAM KATNISS!!!
Katniss is awesome because she always keeps the big picture in mind…she’s fiercely independent and loyal to those she loves with all her heart.
Im still only on chapter eight of Mockingjay
, but I still think that Katniss is awesome because her bite is better than her bark. She gets her hands dirty and is very strong in what she does. The Hunger Games is my favorite series.
I love love love Katniss. She’s my favorite!!!!!!!!! I like everything about her. She’s soo kewl and strong and brave.I can totally relate to her in sooo many ways!!
I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE’S AN AMAZING HEROINE!!
I believe that Katniss is an amazing heroine because she is responsible and can take care of herself. She doesn’t let some man swoop in and act all helpless while he takes care of her, like in a certain novel that I know of *cough cough Twilight cough cough*. :]
I loved how REAL she is. I felt like she was relate-able, and acted like a girl would if brought into those circumstances. Even though I am still not sure what I think about Mockingjay, I still love this series.
I like Katniss because she is the main character and the cause in the Hunger games series. She has a personality that I would like also.
Katniss is smart… and she makes the right choices.
well let’s see, Katniss is an amazing heroine beacause 1. her name rocks and is original (meaning i love her name XD) 2. even though i’ve only read the first book i love her strenghth, courage, smarts, and mind-set
3. her love for her family 
and lastly 4. her obliviousness 
Hello, I think what makes Katniss a heroine is she never gives up. She always stands up for her self & her family/friends. She is different, she has her own ways to deal with things. Her personality is very strong.Something which i have learned from her. Also, she has a heart for her family & friends. She would put her life in danger for them. Katniss is an amazing person.
Throughout the whole of three books, sure she makes some major changes, but she stays the same stubborn, skilled, great, impulsive girl who is strong beyond belief but still has her flaws. After reading these books I can honestly say that Katniss Everdeen will forever be my role model.
Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lost her father at the age of 11, who was the sole provider for her family, who took on extra tesserae so her sister didn’t have to, and sacrificed herself to the deadly Hunger Games in place of her sister. Katniss showed bravery and courage, and that was before the real adventure even started. Throughout all three books Katniss Everdeen proves herself to be an amazing Herione not only because of her courage and bravery, But because of her firey determination, and her instincts to trust her gut.
ok i ‘m not gonna go on and on i will simply say she is th mockinjay and is the hero and hope of all panem she is brave honorable and modest
Katniss is strong brave and always willing to give her life for her family and those she loves. WE could all set an example and be the Moackingjay for our own family and friends just like Katniss.
I think that Katniss is great in the Hunger Games Trillogy. She is the person who inadvertadly starts the revolt and helps out the districts.