Catching Fire

The book moves beyond arena survival to explore how power is maintained through threats, surveillance and public performance. Katniss’s growing role as a symbol of resistance brings personal loyalty into tension with political consequences.

Violence is frequent and sometimes graphically described, including combat injuries and torture; a character dies by suicide. Alcohol misuse and drug addiction are also mentioned, alongside brief profanity and non-sexual nudity, with bare breasts mentioned.

When a government threatens people close to Katniss to control her public behaviour, what choices does she seem to have? If resistance puts others at risk, how might she weigh loyalty against a wider cause?

If reading together, pause after intense arena scenes and let your child set the pace. The book is a sequel; reading the first novel beforehand may help make sense of Katniss and Peeta’s history.