Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping

Author	Suzanne Collins
Cover artist	Tim O'Brien
Language	English
Series	The Hunger Games
Genre	Science fiction, Dystopian
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	March 18, 2025
Publication place	United States
Pages	400[1]
ISBN	9781546171461
Preceded by	The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Followed by	The Hunger Games

Sunrise on the Reaping is a 2025 dystopian novel written by American author Suzanne Collins and the second prequel novel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020). Set 24 years before the events of the first novel, the narrative delves into themes of political manipulation, the power of propaganda, and the complexities of societal control under a totalitarian regime and centers on the 50th Hunger Games, in which Haymitch Abernathy competed. It was released on March 18, 2025 and published by Scholastic.^[2]

A film adaptation was announced to be in production on June 6, 2024, and is set to be released by Lionsgate on November 20, 2026.^[3]

Collins' inspiration was a book by Scottish philosopher David Hume, specifically his ideas of implicit submission and "the easiness with which the many are governed by the few".^[4][5] Questions surrounding the use of propaganda and the power of media narratives also inspired Collins to explore the concept of what is ‘Real or not real?’ in the novel.^[6]

Collins chose the title of Sunrise on the Reaping to express Hume's philosophy of the distinction between inductive and deductive reasoning. As conveyed through Haymitch and Lenore's disagreement in the first chapter, Haymitch believed with certainty that the reaping will always be around and resigned himself to it, showing implicit submission, but Lenore Dove argued there can be a future without them as the Hunger Games have only been around for fifty years.^[7]

In the novel, Lenore Dove sings sections of "The Goose and the Common", an 18th century poem about the injustices of land enclosure in England, in reference to the Capitol.^[8]

The cover art for Sunrise on the Reaping was designed by Tim O'Brien. Regarding the cover art, VP publisher and editorial director for Scholastic David Levithan stated that “The spiky sun rises on a symbol that will come to mean a lot to Haymitch Abernathy, as well as countless readers. Artist Tim O’Brien has created yet another iconic Hunger Games cover – this one symbolically exploring one of the central themes of the series: how conflicting forces can be connected by their common nature, the songbird and the snake springing from the same source.”^[9]

Haymitch Abernathy lives in District 12 with his impoverished mother and younger brother Sid, where he illegally distills moonshine to keep his family afloat and regularly sneaks out to the woods to meet his girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird. On Haymitch's 16th birthday, the reaping for the 50th Annual Hunger Games is held, where all districts must produce double the usual number of tributes in honor of the Second Quarter Quell. At the reaping, one of District 12's male tributes attempts to escape but is quickly killed. In the ensuing chaos, Haymitch attempts to protect Lenore Dove from Peacekeepers, for which District 12's cruel tribute escort Drusilla Sickle and Plutarch Heavensbee, a cameraman who appears sympathetic to the tributes, appoints Haymitch as the substitute tribute, re‐staging the reaping. His fellow District 12 tributes include betting oddsmaker Wyatt Callow, neighbor and close friend Louella McCoy, and the rich and callous Maysilee Donner.

Arriving in the Capitol, the District 12 tributes are dismissed as "long shots." During the Tribute Parade, a horse-drawn chariot accident kills Louella and Haymitch carries her body down the parade route before laying her in front of President Snow and mockingly applauding him. Haymitch is taken alone into Heavensbee Hall, where President Snow threatens him that he will ensure the Gamemakers punish him with a painful death if he continues with his defiance. Attempting to cover up the parade fiasco, Snow brings in a drugged body double replacement for Louella, whom the District 12 tributes nickname "Lou Lou."

With no surviving victors from their district, the District 12 tributes are assigned random mentors from previous Games, Wiress of District 3 and Mags of District 4. Dueling alliances quickly form between the Career tributes and those from the rest of the districts, who nickname themselves "The Newcomers." During training, Beetee, a former victor cruelly forced to mentor his own son Ampert (who was reaped as punishment for Beetee's rebellious activity) recruits Haymitch for a covert plan to sabotage the arena. Plutarch covertly gives Haymitch additional information about the sabatoge, and to gain Haymitch's trust, arranges for him to share a bittersweet farewell call with Lenore Dove. Haymitch agrees to detonate explosives in the arena's underground water tank to flood the arena's computer systems. In response to a disastrously low evaluation score from the Gamemakers as punishment for his parade rebellion, Haymitch adopts a defiant "rascal" persona in the tribute interviews to attract sponsors.

The Games begin in a stunningly beautiful but deadly arena rife with poisonous hazards. Haymitch abandons his alliance with the Newcomers to carry out his sabotage plan, and Wyatt is killed on the first day. Briefly accompanied by Lou Lou, who soon dies from toxic pollen, he teams up with Ampert to enter an access channel designed to release genetically mutated creatures ("mutts") and trigger an explosion that destroys the arena's subterranean water tank. However, the ensuing flood fails to fully disable the arena, and the mutts kill Ampert. Later, when he encounters a group of Careers, Maysilee saves Haymitch with a poisonous blow dart gun, renewing their partnership.

Determined to find another way to destroy the arena, Haymitch convinces Maysilee to explore its edge. They encounter the Careers and during the ensuing fight, the tributes stumble upon a surprised trio of Gamemakers performing maintenance, whom Maysilee and the Careers kill before fleeing. Haymitch and Maysilee find a power generator at the arena's edge shielded by a force field which bounces back any objects thrown at it. As she splits up with Haymitch, Maysilee is killed by mutts specifically sent to punish her for killing the Gamemakers. With three tributes remaining, Haymitch seeks out the last remaining Newcomer, Wellie, finding her starving. He leaves her alone to look for firewood, yet returns only to find her killed by the final Career, District 1 tribute Silka. In a final confrontation at the arena's edge, Silka is inadvertently killed by her axe bouncing off the force field. After his victory, a grievously injured Haymitch attempts to detonate a final explosive against the force field in a final act of defiance against the games, and is rendered unconscious as the blast goes off, failing yet again to destroy the arena.

Haymitch awakens in captivity at the Capitol and is forced to attend a series of public events, gradually realizing that the televised version of the Games has been heavily edited to erase any signs of rebellion. In his sole encounter with Haymitch after the games, President Snow tells him to "enjoy his homecoming." Upon returning to District 12, Haymitch finds his home burned down and his mother and brother dead. A reunion with Lenore Dove in a quiet meadow turns tragic when Haymitch unknowingly feeds her a poisoned candy, an act orchestrated by President Snow. Lenore Dove dies in his arms after urging him to prevent another "sunrise on the reaping." Haunted by his losses, Haymitch retreats into isolation and alcoholism in the Victors' Village, distancing himself from former friends out of fear for their safety. However, during the Victory Tour, Plutarch's encouragement spurs him to keep fighting.

In the epilogue, set after the original series, Haymitch opens up to Katniss and Peeta about his past, finding solace in caring for gifted goose eggs in memory of Lenore Dove.

Tributes

• Haymitch Abernathy – A male tribute from District 12. He is outspoken, short-tempered, and trying his best to return to his family and girlfriend in District 12.
• Maysilee Donner – A female tribute from District 12. She is the original owner of the Mockingjay pin, which is given to Katniss in The Hunger Games. She has a twin sister named Merrilee Donner.
• Wyatt Callow – A male tribute from District 12. He is an oddsmaker with a family history of gambling on the tributes.
• Louella McCoy – A female tribute from District 12. She is killed during the Tribute Parade and replaced with a body double, Lou Lou, by the Capitol.
• "Lou Lou" – A girl from District 11 who is abducted and drugged by the Capitol to replace Louella.
• Ampert Latier – a male tribute from District 3. He is Beetee's son and part of the Newcomers alliance.
• Wellie – A female tribute from District 6. She is part of the Newcomers Alliance.
• Silka Sharp – A female tribute from District 1 who was part of the Career pack. She was killed by her axe, which rebounded off the forcefield whilst fighting Haymitch.
• Panache Barker – A male tribute from District 1 who was part of the Career pack. He was killed by one of Maysilee's poisonous darts.
• Woodbine Chance – A male tribute from District 12. He attempts to escape when his name is called and is shot dead. Haymitch is chosen to replace him.
• Other notable tributes include: Maritte, a female tribute from District 4; Ringina, a female tribute from District 7; Kerna, a female tribute from District 9; Hull, a male tribute from District 11; and Chicory, a female tribute from District 11.

Capitol Residents

• Plutarch Heavensbee – Capitol cameraman assigned to District 12 tributes.
• Drusilla Sickle – Capitol escort for the District 12 tributes.
• Coriolanus Snow – President of Panem.
• Effie Trinket – Emergency escort and stylist for the District 12 tributes.
• Proserpina Trinket and Vitus – Prep team for Haymitch during the Second Quarter Quell.
• Caesar Flickerman – Host of the interviews for the Hunger Games.
• Magno Stift – Stylist for the District 12 tributes.

Mentors

• Mags Flanagan – Victor of the 11th Hunger Games. Mentor for the District 12 tributes during the Second Quarter Quell.
• Wiress – Victor of the 49th Hunger Games. Mentor for the District 12 tributes during the Second Quarter Quell.
• Beetee Latier – Victor of the 34th Hunger Games. Mentor for the District 3 tributes during the Second Quarter Quell.

District 12 Residents

• Lenore Dove Baird – Haymitch's girlfriend.
• Sid Abernathy – Haymitch's ten-year-old brother.
• Willamae Abernathy – Haymitch's mother.
• Burdock Everdeen – Haymitch's best friend and eventual father of Katniss and Prim. He is Lenore Dove's distant cousin.
• Other notable residents include: Asterid March, Burdock's girlfriend and eventual mother of Katniss and Prim; Blair, a friend of Haymitch and Burdock; Hattie, a bootlegger and Haymitch's boss; Clerk Carmine Clade and Tam Amber, Lenore Dove's uncles; and Merrilee Donner, Maysilee's identical twin sister.

On October 16, 2024, the book's cover and synopsis was revealed on NBC's The Today Show.^[9][10] On January 15, 2025, an extract from Chapter 1 was released in an article in People magazine. It reveals details such as the names of Haymitch's brother, Sid Abernathy, and girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird, and that his birthday is reaping day.^[11] On March 13, 2025, a clip of Suzanne Collins reading from Sunrise on the Reaping was posted. The scene depicted focuses on the character of Haymitch's girlfriend, Lenore Dove.^[12]

Sunrise on the Reaping had a hardcover release date of March 18, 2025.^[13][14] It was also published as an audiobook on the same day.^[15][16] It was narrated by actor Jefferson White.^[17][18]

Sunrise on the Reaping sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week, marking the biggest debut for any title in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series.^[19] In the U.S. alone, the book sold 1.2 million copies, more than twice the opening sales of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and over three times that of Mockingjay.^[14]

The upcoming film adaptation will be directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Billy Ray.^[20][21] It began filming in July 2025.^[22]

Cast (In Order of Announcement)^{[21][23][24][25]}

• Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird
• Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy
• Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner
• Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee
• Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier
• Maya Hawke as Wiress
• Lili Taylor as Mags Flanagan
• Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow
• Ralph Fiennes as President Snow
• Molly McCann as Louella McCoy
• Iona Bell as Lou Lou
• Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket
• Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman
• Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle
• Billy Porter as Magno Stift
• Jhaleil Swaby as Panache Barker
• Laura Marcus as Silka Sharp
• Percy Daggs IV as Ampert Latier
• Rada Rae as Wellie
• Iris Apatow as Proserpina
• Edvin Ryding as Vitus

• The U.S. Scholastic Website