Summary
Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games saga, published on March 18, 2025. Set 24 years before the original trilogy, the story takes place during the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Quarter Quell, for which the Capitol requires twice the usual number of tributes. Exploring themes of manipulation, control, and oppression, the novel shows how propaganda supports those in power. Providing insights into Haymitch Abernathy at age 16, long before his role as a mentor to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, Sunrise on the Reaping also sheds light on resistance, illustrating the challenges and dangers faced by individuals confronting tyranny.
Plot
Sunrise on the Reaping follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy from District 12. He shifts from a life of moonshining to becoming a tribute in the 50th Hunger Games, known as the second Quarter Quell. Each district must send two boys and two girls, doubling the number of tributes to 48. Haymitch is chosen as a replacement tribute after a fatal incident during the reaping ceremony, which coincides with his birthday.
Haymitch, seen as an underdog, competes alongside District 12 tributes Maysilee Donner and Wyatt Callow. Despite initial doubts, his cleverness and audacity secure sponsorships. The Capitol’s manipulation emerges, as seen in Louella McCoy's death during the parade, with a drugged substitute taking her place to maintain appearances. In the arena, designed as a lethal garden with poisonous hazards and engineered creatures, Haymitch allies with Ampert Latier. They aim to disrupt the Capitol’s control, but their first sabotage—a reservoir explosion—fails, leading to Ampert’s death. Alone, Haymitch forms temporary alliances, notably with Maysilee Donner and the Newcomer alliance’s Wellie. Maysilee sacrifices herself after discovering a hidden generator at the arena's edge with Haymitch.
The climax occurs at a cliff, where Haymitch faces Silka, the final Career tribute. Her weapon mistakenly causes her death. Haymitch’s act of rebellion—throwing an explosive over the arena's boundary—renders him unconscious. In the aftermath, Haymitch returns to a decimated District 12. Tragedies fuel Haymitch’s resolve against the Capitol, but he remains haunted by the Games.
Characters
Haymitch Abernathy: The 16-year-old protagonist. As a tribute from District 12, Haymitch emerges as an outspoken and strategic figure during a critical period in Hunger Games history.
Lenore Dove Baird: Part of the Covey and Haymitch’s love interest, Lenore plays a significant role in his journey, deeply affecting the narrative.
Maysilee Donner: A District 12 tribute who originally possesses the Mockingjay pin, Maysilee partners with Haymitch, impacting his future strategies and outlook.
Wyatt Callow: Known for his gambling ability, Wyatt, a tribute from District 12, becomes entangled in the dangerous political environment of Panem.
Louella McCoy and Lou Lou: Louella's death during the Tribute Parade leads to her replacement by Lou Lou, highlighting the Capitol's disregard for human life.
Ampert Latier: A young tribute from District 3, Ampert partners with Haymitch in efforts to disrupt the arena's system controls.
Silka Sharp: From District 1, Silka represents the potent skills of the Career tributes. Her downfall underscores the intricate brutality of the Games.
Plutarch Heavensbee: A Capitol cameraman who questions the regime's narrative, Plutarch takes subtle steps of defiance through media editing.
Themes
In Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins examines the use of propaganda as a control mechanism by the Capitol. The story illustrates how media manipulation supports its authoritarian rule over the districts. Collins highlights how the Hunger Games are transformed into a propaganda spectacle. Plutarch Heavensbee, a Capitol media official, states that the tributes are stars of a choreographed narrative. The Capitol uses these events to distract the population, maintaining unchallenged power.
Haymitch Abernathy's experience in the arena underscores this manipulation. Despite his efforts to expose the Games' brutality, the Capitol reframes the narrative to reinforce its storyline. This manipulation indicates the audience's willingness to accept distorted truths, demonstrating the power of propaganda. The media's control is evident when a deceased tribute is replaced with a body double during a parade. This shows how reality is edited to fit the Capitol's agenda, silencing dissenting voices across the districts and ensuring continued oppression.
Quick facts
Sunrise on the Reaping is the second prequel in the Hunger Games saga.
Set during the 50th Hunger Games, the story takes place 40 years after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and 24 years before the original trilogy.
Sunrise on the Reaping focuses on Haymitch Abernathy at age 16, exploring his backstory.
The novel also provides insight into Haymitch's development, particularly his early experiences under Snow's influence, adding depth to his later interactions with Katniss and Peeta in the trilogy.
Sunrise on the Reaping focuses on the second Quarter Quell, featuring 48 tributes instead of the usual 24.
Haymitch wasn't initially selected for the Games but was forced into competing after another tribute was killed.
Themes include propaganda, political manipulation, societal control, and psychological trauma.
Sunrise on the Reaping sold over 1.5 million copies globally in the first week, marking the biggest debut in the series.
Sunrise on the Reaping features characters such as Beetee, Mags, and Wiress, linking this prequel to the original trilogy.
Significant symbols and thematic elements like golden carnivorous squirrels, sunflower necklaces made from explosives, and poisonous butterflies appear in the arena.
Haymitch's love interest, Lenore Dove, is notably related to Lucy Gray Baird from the previous prequel, deepening series connections.
Sunrise on the Reaping includes references to literary classics, such as Edgar Allan Poe's “The Raven.”
A film adaptation directed by Francis Lawrence, known for previous Hunger Games films, is set to release in November 2026.
The audiobook version is narrated by Jefferson White, an actor known for his roles on the TV series Yellowstone and Chicago P.D.
Film adaptation
Sunrise on the Reaping has been adapted into a major motion picture, slated for release on November 20, 2026. Directed by Francis Lawrence, known for previous Hunger Games films, the movie stars Joseph Zada as the young Haymitch Abernathy, focusing on his experiences during the 50th Hunger Games. The cast includes Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, and Ralph Fiennes as President Snow.
About the author
Suzanne Collins (1962-) is an acclaimed American author of young adult fiction. She is best known for her dystopian novels, The Hunger Games saga, inspired by Greek mythology and her father's military service. Exploring themes of war, oppression, and coming of age, The Hunger Games books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, with translations into more than 50 languages, and have been adapted into blockbuster films. Launching the trilogy, The Hunger Games was released in 2008, followed by Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010). Collins has since expanded her series with two prequels, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025).
Collins studied theater and telecommunications at Indiana University and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in dramatic writing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She began her career as a writer for children's television shows, including several Nickelodeon productions. After meeting children’s author James Proimos, she was inspired to write children’s books herself. The result was The Underland Chronicles, a New York Times bestselling series of five books for middle-grade readers published between 2003 and 2007. In 2010, TIME magazine named Suzanne Collins one of the most influential people of the year, and she later became the bestselling Kindle author of all time. She lives in Connecticut with her family.
