Suzanne Collins concludes the much-touted “Hunger Games” trilogy in this volume that has Katniss Everdeen now the heroic symbol and face of the rebels, who are on the rise in their quest to overthrow the Capitol. But if Katniss felt like a pawn of the oppressive government as player and victor of the Games, she now feels like a puppet of the District 13 leadership that is leading the rebellion. Even being reunited with her mother, sister, and best friend Gale is bittersweet with her co-victor Peeta a prisoner of the government. It takes awhile for the action to rise in Mockingjay, and there are some missed opportunities when it comes to probing the emotional depths of Katniss’s character and relationships with others—things done so well in the first two books. But as the series draws to a close the tension mounts along with the action, as do critical questions for readers to ponder about power, manipulation, morality, and the price of peace and justice. (Age 11 and older)