The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Suzanne Collins
A brilliant insight into the backstory of a much beloved character from the original Hunger Games series – Haymitch Abernathy. Sunrise on the Reaping shows what life was like in District 12 long before the ‘Girl on Fire’, Katniss Everdeen’ fanned the flames of revolution and how a young Haymitch was the spark. This book shows how the Games evolved from the first prequel ‘A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’, to the more modern ones we saw in the original series. It’s impressive how every iteration of the Hunger Games has its own distinct theme and horrors with the Mutts, terrain, weather etc.
We are introduced to a wide range of characters, some we already know and love from the original series, like Effie, Plutarch, Mags, Wiress and Betee and then a whole host of new tributes. It’s impressive how the author is able to get us to connect to them and care so deeply about their fates in the Games when we already know who the victor is. The thing I also loved about it was how one of the main characters from ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’, Lucy Grey Baird, is peppered throughout the story, along with the songs and motifs that are so well known, such as learning the original story behind the famous Mockingjay pin.
It feels strange to say it was enjoyable, because it was also quite sad. However it was a great insight into one of my favourite characters and I feel like I understand him and his actions from the initial series so much better. It was a powerful story and I’m sure other fans of the Hunger Games series and dystopia in general will enjoy it!
Published by Scholastic, 2025
