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A GOOD READ: If you like The Hunger Games, try these book series

If you haven't heard about Suzanne Collins ' spectacularly successful book The Hunger Games , get ready. Now that the movie of the same name has been released, it is all you are going to hear about for the next little while.

If you haven't heard about Suzanne Collins' spectacularly successful book The Hunger Games, get ready.

Now that the movie of the same name has been released, it is all you are going to hear about for the next little while. The books in The Hunger Games trilogy have become the most requested books in the library, second only to the Harry Potter series - which, by the way, still has wait lists.

For those of you who are on the waiting list for the first book or haven't had the pleasure of reading it, The Hunger Games is set in a post-apocalyptic novel America of the future. Civil war has broken the country into districts where the general population struggles with daily shortages of food and the basic necessitates of life. All is not equal in this new America as those privileged enough to live in the capital district are blessed with everything they could need or want. To keep the populace in line, the government has decreed that each district will send one boy and one girl, selected by lottery, to fight in a reality TV game. The winner is the last person left alive. What makes this series so convincing is that Collins does not sugar-coat the story. Characters you become attached to die and the dangers seem very real. Once you begin the book, you feel compelled to read to end.

Now, if you have already read this series and are looking around for other series to read, here are some suggestions for books that just might fill the gap.

Divergent by Veronica Roth is another post-apocalyptic novel set in a city somewhere in America. This society has become divided into five factions, each one committed to a particular virtue. At the age of 16, each teen must decide which faction they wish to join for the rest of their lives. Beatrice Prior has a secret that forces her to choose between her family and who she really is - she can't have both. Her choice takes her on a very different and dangerous path that leads her to make life-and-death decisions that affect not only her, but her friends and family. Like The Hunger Games, Divergent is the first instalment in a thrilling new series that is sure to keep young adult readers on the edge of their seats. Insurgent, the next title in the series, is due to be released later this spring.

Catherine Fisher's Incarceron is another post-apocalyptic novel - with a twist. Finn's memories begin and end in Incarceron, a prison with an unlimited landscape filled with metal forests, dilapidated cities and vast wilderness. But some small part of Finn knows he does not belong. The problem is that only one man has ever escaped to the Outside. So when the opportunity presents itself, Finn has to try. Like Divergent and The Hunger Games, Incarceron is a riveting story that will have you reaching for the next instalment.

Nancy Farmer's Sea of Trolls trilogy is set in the year 793. Jack, who has been apprenticed to the local bard, lives with his younger sister Lucy, who inhabits a world where she is a princess waiting to be rescued and returned to her castle. When Vikings raid their village, Jack and Lucy are taken prisoner and transported to a land filled with trolls, dragons, giant spiders and talking crows. While Lucy feels she has finally been rescued, Jack must do what he can to get them both home. The Land of Silver Apple and The Islands of the Blessed round out this trilogy, and are just as gripping as Sea of Trolls.

All of these wonderful books are available at your local library. All are available as books and many are available as audio books, downloadable audiobooks and e-books. There is a treasure trove of books at your local library just waiting for you to come a discover them. If you need help, don't be shy. All of the librarians there will be more than happy to help you find your perfect match.

A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published every Wednesday. Susan Redmond works at Port Moody Public Library.