‘The Hunger Games’ film adaptation is a must-see for 2012

As the "Twilight" series comes to a close, the up-and-coming face in the young adult book-to-film genre looks to be "The Hunger Games."

"The Hunger Games" is not even close to the romantic love story that put a spell on Twilight's readers. Instead, it is a story about survival, family and overcoming adversity.

"The Hunger Games," written by Suzanne Collins, begins in a post-apocalypse North America, which has become known as Panem.

The country has been divided into 12 districts all overseen by an oppressive, controlling government.

Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old-girl from District 12, illegally hunts in the woods near her district to provide for her near-starving family.

District 12, also known as "The Seam," is a coal mining district in Appalachia, yet many of the residents still don't have the fuel to keep their homes warm.

Every year, the government of Panem holds "The Hunger Games."

Two teenagers from each of the twelve districts are selected by a lottery to represent their district in a televised fight-to-the death.

Everdeen volunteers as tribute after her younger sister Prim is selected to compete.

The games are meant to serve as a reminder of what the people of Panem would have to endure if they rebelled against the government: hunger, chaos and murder.

Although "The Hunger Games" is labeled as a young adult read, it has appeals for readers of all ages.

"Reading ‘The Hunger Games' is as addictive (and as violently simple) as playing one of those "shoot-it-if-it-moves" videogames in the lobby of the local eightplex; you know it's not real, but you keep plugging in quarters anyway," wrote Stephen King in a review in Entertainment Weekly.

Still not up to reading the book?

On March 23, "The Hunger Games" will be brought to life on the silver screen. The film version will feature actress Jennifer Lawrence as the tenacious Everdeen.

Lawrence most recently starred in "X-Men: First Class" in 2011.

"The Hunger Games" will also feature Liam Hemsworth ("The Last Song"), Elizabeth Banks ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), and Woody Harrelson ("Zombieland").