Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
“For the young and old, Sunrise at the Reaping is the latest worthwhile victor in The Hunger Games franchise.”
Happy 16th Birthday, Haymitch! In Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins’ latest amazing installment in The Hunger Games franchise, readers are thrust into the treacherous world of Haymitch Abernathy’s origin story.
The Second Quarter Quell Changes Everything
Each year, Haymitch’s birthday is marked by the cruelest of events in the history of Panem. It is the annual reaping for the Hunger Games, where teens from across the country are selected to meet their deaths in the arena before the eyes of the entire land. The gory games remind the 12 Districts of their suppression under the regime of the Capitol and their failed rebellion, which occurred over fifty years ago. This year marks the Second Quarter Quell, the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Games, and Haymitch is determined to once again escape the fate of being one of the four local tributes thrown into the amphitheater to battle for their lives.
But no such luck. In an instant, Haymitch is tapped as a District 12 tribute, and is separated from his Ma and younger brother Sid, and the girl he loves, Leonore Dove.
He and the three other tributes are whisked off to the Capitol for training and the games, but they are at a sore disadvantage. Being from the “trashiest” district of coal miners, their mentors, stylists, and support team are equally rejects. They enter the games with the lowest odds of survival and fewest sponsors, and will be fortunate to survive the first day of the brutal kid-on-kid killing game that entertains the Capitol.
Haymitch is full of spunk, challenging authority from the moment he is reaped. He has no apparent survival talents, other than his wits, and the basic knowledge learned in his outpost. Haymitch knows the Capitol is gunning for him, and he has choices to make — go rogue or stay with the pack. He questions whom he can trust in this game of dog-eat-dog, all the while worrying about the effects of his behavior on his loved ones back home, his district mates, and his allies. How far can Haymitch push his luck without endangering his life or their safety? Or is there a more dangerous game afoot that demands his ultimate sacrifice?
A Savage Game with Unthinkable Consequences
Once again, Suzanne Collins has immersed the reader in another deliciously savage Hunger Games filled with mutts, unnatural disasters and mystery. Through Haymitch’s perspective of “hope and love and joy,” she brings “far more color to his expression, more humor,” as the reader experiences his world before, during and after the games. And Collins weaves familiar characters into the plot, introducing the backstories of such favorites as Effie Trinket, Plutarch Heavensbee and Burdock Everdeen, Katniss’s father.
As Collins has stated: “If you look at Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, we learn in the prologue that the lovers will die. So you’re really not focused on what’s going to happen, but on how or why.”
Readers know Haymitch survives to become Katniss and Peeta’s mentor in the 74th games. However, through Sunrise at the Reaping, the reader understands the traumas that contributed to Haymitch’s post-games cynicism and how his skills help Katniss become the Mockingjay. For the young and old, Sunrise at the Reaping is the latest worthwhile victor in The Hunger Games franchise. The odds are in your favor that the trials of Haymitch Abernathy will linger in your heart long after the last page.
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About Suzanne Collins:
Suzanne Collins began her career writing for children’s television, contributing to beloved Nickelodeon shows such as Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Inspired to explore children’s literature, she wrote Gregor the Overlander, launching The Underland Chronicles, a bestselling fantasy war series.
Her next series, The Hunger Games, became a global phenomenon, with the five-book dystopian saga translated into 55 languages and spending years on The New York Times bestseller list. The blockbuster film adaptations have grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide.
Collins’ other works include the autobiographical picture book Year of the Jungle and When Charlie McButton Lost Power. She has been named to the TIME 100 list and received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community. Her books have sold over 100 million copies, solidifying her as one of the most influential authors of contemporary young adult fiction.
Publish Date: 3/18/2025
Genre: Young Adult
Author: Suzanne Collins
Page Count: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press