1.19.2025

Sunrise on the Reaping: What You Need to Know Before You Read Suzanne Collins' New Book

Sunrise on the Reaping: What you need to know before you read




Suzanne Collins, along with Scholastic Press and Lionsgate, announced that her new book, Sunrise on the Reaping, will be published March 18, 2025 and the corresponding film will be released November 20, 2026. This post serves to recap what we already know about the setting and characters to prepare for this fifth installment in The Hunger Games series. I don't know about you, but I am so excited! March cannot get here quickly enough.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read the excerpt released by People or any of the other books in the series, the information below WILL be spoilers for Sunrise on the Reaping.

What we already know

• With the release of an excerpt of the novel, we know it will be told in first person point-of-view (POV) by Haymitch Abernathy. This POV follows the first three novels, which were told in first person from Katniss Everdeen's perspective. This differs from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was told in third person from the perspective of Coriolanus Snow.

• We also know that it begins on Reaping day for the 50th Hunger Games (and a Quarter Quell), which is also Haymitch's 16th birthday. We learned in Catching Fire (and are reminded in the new excerpt) that this Quarter Quell (which happens every 25 years) will reap double the number of tributes: instead of two from each of the 12 districts, there will be four children from each, totaling 48 participants.

• Haymitch has a younger brother: Sid, who is 10. He is not eligible for the reaping.

• His mom is a widow; Haymitch's dad was killed in a coal mine fire when he was younger. 

• Haymitch has a love interest: Lenore Dove. We first learn of her in Mockingjay when Haymitch says that President Snow had everyone he loved killed within two weeks of his victory: "My mother and younger brother. My girl. They were all dead two weeks after I was crowned victor." (page 172) 

• We know from Catching Fire (pages 196-202) that Maysilee Donner, Madge Undersee's aunt and the original owner of the mockingjay pin, is one of Haymitch's fellow tributes. Maysilee was also Katniss's mom's best friend. We also know that we'll see Katniss's mom at the reaping because they hug before Maysilee takes the stage.

• From these same pages we learn that Haymitch is young, strong, and quite good-looking. His hair is dark and curly and he has gray Seam eyes. In his interview with Caesar Flickerman he exudes arrogance, snarkiness, and indifference.

• We know that Haymitch goes straight to the Cornucopia for weapons and a backpack of supplies when the gong sounds. His weapon of choice becomes a knife. The arena is described on page 198 of Catching Fire as "...the most breathtaking place imaginable." It's a flower-filled meadow with woods and a snow-capped mountain in the distance. After grabbing his supplies, Haymitch heads for the woods.

• The beauty of the arena is an illusion, as most of the fruit and flowers are poisonous. The only things safe to consume are rainwater and items from the Cornucopia. Haymitch has to fight off carnivorous squirrels and contend with deadly butterflies.

• Maysilee grabs one small backpack with a blow-dart weapon that she easily utilizes with the poisons available in the arena.

• On the fourth day of the Games, a volcano erupts, taking out at least a dozen tributes and all but five of the Careers.

• Haymitch and Maysilee use the woods for concealment. On page 199 of Catching Fire, we learn that Haymitch encounters three of the Careers. He kills two of them with his knife but the third is able to disarm him. Maysilee comes to his rescue by killing the third Career with her blow dart. The two become allies.

• Haymitch is determined to find the end of the arena. When they find a cliff, Haymitch decides to stay there and allow the remaining tributes to come to them. (p. 200) Maysilee disagrees with this and the two part ways. There are only five tributes left, including them.

• Haymitch accidentally comes across the invisible force field when he kicks a pebble off the side of the cliff and it flies back up at him a minute later. He realizes the force field acts like a boomerang. (p. 201)

• Maysilee is killed by a flock of "candy pink birds" that "skewer her through the neck" (p. 201). Much like Katniss with Rue, Haymitch holds her hand as she dies.

• In the end, it's Haymitch and a District 1 female tribute left. They get into a bloody fight and she ends up disarming him. His injuries are life-threatening (he has to hold his intestines in) as he makes his way for the cliff. He reaches the edge and waits for the girl to throw her ax at him. When she does, he ducks and allows it to fly off the cliff. Both tributes are dying, but Haymitch knows in a minute that ax will fly back and kill her. (pages 201-202)

• As punishment for manipulating the Games and making the Capitol look bad, President Snow has everyone Haymitch loves killed (his mom, brother, and girlfriend) within two weeks of being declared the Victor, as mentioned above in Mockingjay.

What this could mean for Sunrise on the Reaping

Movies don't always follow everything in the books, as we know all too well from the Hunger Games movies. For example, Haymitch was always described as having dark, curly hair. He was from the Seam, after all. But Woody Harrelson, a blonde actor, has always portrayed him without dying his hair (unlike Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, who both colored their hair to match their character's). Will they try to find an actor that genuinely portrays Haymitch from the books or someone who looks like a young Woody Harrelson? Personally, I want someone true to the book. 

The similarities between Haymitch and Katniss are noticeable. Both are raised by single moms. Both lost their fathers in coal mine fires/explosions. Both have a younger sibling to care for. Both use the woods for hunting and feeding their family. Both ally with their fellow district tributes. Both have to watch a friend die in the arena. Both defy the Capitol in the Games, manipulating the outcome to become Victors. I think this book will be a great opportunity for teachers to have students compare and contrast the two protagonists. 

According to the book jacket synopsis, Haymitch's fellow District 12 tributes include "...a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town." Obviously, Maysilee is the "stuck-up" girl. But knowing that there will be a young girl who is like a sister to him will be excruciating to see her death. Will they ally right away? Will it be another Rue situation all over again? 

I love that we will see a glimpse of Katniss's mother. Because the book is told from Haymitch's perspective, we won't see much as she is not from the Seam, but perhaps we will see Katniss's father? Maybe Haymitch was even friends with him? Will we finally learn their names?

Lenore Dove: Haymitch identifies her in the book with both names, indicating perhaps she has a double first name like Lucy Gray Baird. In addition, her second name Dove not only represents the peaceful songbird but a shade of gray. Members of the Covey all had second first names that were colors. Could Lenore Dove be a descendant of one of the members of the Covey? 

Also, the name Lenore has many references in literature. If you've taught Edgar Allan Poe, you know he not only wrote a poem named "Lenore," but her death was the source of the narrator's grief in his famous poem "The Raven." There is also a poem called "Lenore" by German author Gottfried August Bürger written in 1773. Teachers can use these poems for analysis and comparison of themes.

There is no doubt that this will be just as emotionally charged as The Hunger Games (and all the books, honestly). Will it be worse because we know it's coming? 

If you'd like to chat more about things, you can find me on Instagram and Facebook. Just comment on my post about this! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!
-Tracee
Sunrise on the Reaping: What you need to know before you read


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