Harry Potter v. Hunger Games: Book Fight of the Century

I am a nerd. While most people my age are tanning by the pool, or shopping at the mall, getting their nails done, or going to the clubs, I am usually at home reading my next "favorite" book. I have gone through the Lord of the Rings series, the Uglies series, and the Percy Jackson series. I have read every Rick Riordan book, literally, and I feel no embarrassment what so ever shopping for book in the "Young Teen" section of Barnes and Noble even through I am twenty-three. Recently, I saw an article saying that The Hunger Games had passed The Harry Potter series as the best selling book series on Amazon. Well I am a huge fan of both of these series and what startled me most about this announcement was that people immediately started saying which series was better based purely on sales. I believe that this should not be done.

Harry Potter became an idea for JK Rowling in 1990, twenty-two years ago, and the first book did not come out until June 1997. This means that the Harry Potter craze has been going on for fifteen years. There have been seven books published, eight movies made, and countless of childhood fantasies enhanced by the HP book series. I know when I was first introduced to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in The Sorcerer's Stone, I first started to love reading. Without the Harry Potter series I may have never discovered reading as a hobby or possible profession. Harry Potter was also an impetus for the growing popularity of Young adult literature worldwide. Without Harry Potter and JK Rowling, there might not be a Twilight series or Hunger Games trilogy. For this reason, to say that Harry Potter, or Hunger Games, is a better book series based purely on sales is a huge oversight. These book series are dependent upon each other. Without the success of Harry Potter, Hunger Games may not have reached the hearts and hands of countless fans.

I say all of this being a huge fan of both series. I love how the Hunger Games presents a strong female protagonist that is willing to fight for her family and for the betterment of the nation she lives in. I also love how the topic of attraction between young adults is presented in Hunger Games. The game of love is never an easy obstacle to overcome. The truth and level of attraction between two people is never obvious, so showing how the female protagonist deals with the love triangle she becomes a part of illustrates how girls today can cope and deal with "love" when it enters that inevitable grey area filled with questions and difficult decisions. Harry Potter also dives into the relationship part of a young adults life through the setting of school, but I believe that the topic of how to deal with relationships always comes second to the big picture plot of the HP series. The overall plot of the HP series is an enthralling one of good versus evil, however, showing how a person's character is what decides the direction of a individual's life journey. Balanced by well timed humor, the HP series hooks a person from the beginning.

In the end, both the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series are excellent books that must be read. They both bring similar issues of a young adult's life to the table, but the different plot lines present these issues in different light. Once you read both series, then you can determine if what I say is wrong or right.