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Teens put Hunger Games knowledge on display at Indian Prairie Library
Matthew Kranter, a member of Darien Boy Scout Troop 101, demonstrates a knot-tying challenge to contestant Cecilia Podczerwinski of Burr Ridge during the Hunger Games Trials at Indian Prairie Public Library. | Photo courtesy Indian Prairie Library
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Updated: August 27, 2012 6:11AM
DARIEN — Sisters Caroline and Charlotte Sudduth of Hinsdale worked their strategy while watching the first round of the Hunger Games Trials.
With competition such as Cecilia Podczerwinski and Charles Woods of Burr Ridge, they would have to be on top of their game to come out as winners.
Podczerwinski had read the Hunger Games books five times and seen the movie twice before the Indian Prairie Public Library’s competitions on Wednesday. Woods read the entire series twice.
But after a competition that included Jeopardy-style questioning, knot-tying challenges and tests of archery skills, the Sudduth girls, known in the competition as Girls on Fire, came out as victors, along with Brett Haffner and Cherilyn Mendoze of Darien, also known as team Mockingjay.
One member of each team will move on to the arena games in Homewood on Aug. 1. It’s up to the teams to decide who will compete.
“The kids who won are very excited,” said Youth Services Librarian Jane Hartney, who teamed up with librarians from nine other libraries to design their own version of the Hunger Games competition.
Two players, or tributes, from each library will compete in a laser tag competition at Brunswick Zone in Homewood.
Not since the Twilight series have youth librarians had such an opportunity to use a popular book series to draw kids into the library.
“I believe that all of us in libraries like to wrap anything around reading,” Hartney said.
The Harry Potter series offered years worth of programming opportunities, as well.
Hartney said she sees another opportunity on the horizon.
“‘Divergent’ is going to be the next big craze,” she said.
It is the first book in a trilogy of novels by Chicago author Veronica Roth. The second installment, “Insurgent,” was released in May.
When the time comes, Hartney will be ready with another set of programs to draw kids into the books, and into the library.
