The Hunger Games is a novel about a dystopian future where the totalitarian nation of Panem forces each of its 12 districts to select a teenage boy and girl, called tributes, to compete in a nationally televised battle where "may the odds be ever in your favor" as they fight to the death until a sole victor remains. The story follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen who volunteers for the Hunger Games in place of her younger sister after she is initially selected as the female tribute from District 12.