"May the odds be ever in your favor!" Odds are Hunger Games fans will be thrilled to read this biography about Jennifer Lawrence, the actress who plays the strong and courageous Katniss Everdeen in the wildly popular sci-fi trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Not only did this book have lots of photos and cool facts about Jennifer (like she lives in New York and Los Angeles but would love to buy a home in London, too), it was refreshing to read about a rising young Hollywood star who doesn't act like a diva! Even though she has already been nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe (for her role in the movie Winter's Bone), Jennifer still seems down-to-earth and very likable.
Born August 15, 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky, Jennifer Lawrence was a bit of a tomboy. Her older brothers, Benjamin and Blaine, nicknamed her "Nitro" because she was so hyper! Hard to believe, but Gary and Karen Lawrence didn't want their daughter to go into acting at all. Jennifer was so determined, however, that she quit school and got her GED so that she could start her acting career early. At age 14 she and her mother flew to New York to audition. Jennifer tried out for the part of Bella in the Twilight movies (a role given to Kristen Stewart instead) before she stared in several independent films and a short-lived television sitcom. Jennifer also starred as the mutant character Mystique in the action movie X-Men: First Class (see link below). When she got the part of Ree Dolly in Winter's Bone, Jennifer said it was "the best female role I'd read - ever." I think her role as Katniss in The Hunger Games, however, may prove to be her biggest role yet!
UPDATE on 4/14/12: Finally saw the movie The Hunger Games. Jennifer Lawrence is mesmerizing as Katniss Everdeen! Even though I had read the book, there were parts in the movie that still moved me to tears (like when Katniss takes her sister Prim's place in the reaping and when (SPOILER ALERT!) Rue dies. The movie was so good I'm going to see it again!