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 (a special Games also referred to as the Second Quarter Quell), in which Haymitch Abernathy competed. It was released on March 18, 2025, and published by Scholastic.
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.
Background Development 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". 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.
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 Dove'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.
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.
Cover art 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.”
Plot Haymitch Abernathy lives in Panem's District 12 with his impoverished, widowed mother and his younger brother, Sid. Haymitch works for Hattie Meeney, a bootlegger, illegally distilling moonshine to support his family. He regularly sneaks into the woods to meet his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird, a member of the Covey, a nomadic musical group forced to settle in District 12.
The 50th Annual Hunger Games reaping is held on Haymitch's sixteenth birthday. To celebrate the anniversary, known as the Second Quarter Quell, all districts must provide four tributes instead of the typical two. At the District 12 reaping, a male tribute, Woodbine Chance, attempts to escape but is killed. In the ensuing chaos, Haymitch protects Lenore Dove from Peacekeepers. District 12's cruel tribute escort Drusilla Sickle and Plutarch Heavensbee, a cameraman who appears sympathetic to the tributes, then appoint Haymitch as the substitute tribute, re‐staging the reaping to remove the killing of Chance and subsequent disorder from the Capitol's broadcast. Haymitch's 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 quickly dismissed as "long shots." During the Tribute Parade, a horse-drawn chariot accident kills Louella. Haymitch defiantly carries her body down the parade route and lays her in front of the tyrannical ruler of Panem, President Snow, before mockingly applauding him. Haymitch is taken to the Heavensbee family estate, where President Snow threatens Haymitch with a slow, painful death in the Games if he continues his defiance. To cover up the parade fiasco, Snow replaces Louella with a kidnapped, tortured and drugged body double, whom the District 12 tributes nickname "Lou Lou." From her behaviour, they deduce she is from District 11.
With no reachable District 12 victors, the tributes are randomly assigned mentors from other districts, Wiress of District 3 and Mags of District 4. Opposing alliances quickly form; Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5 make up the Career alliance, and the other districts nickname themselves the "Newcomers." During training, Beetee, a former victor cruelly forced to mentor his own son, Ampert, as punishment for rebellious activities, recruits Haymitch for a covert plan to sabotage the arena. In this plan, Haymitch and Ampert will use smuggled explosives to blow a hole in the arena's underground water tank and flood its computer systems. Plutarch gives Haymitch information about the sabotage and, to gain his trust, arranges a bittersweet farewell call with Lenore Dove. After the Gamemakers give Haymitch a punitive low score for his parade behavior, he adopts a lawless and charismatic "rascal" persona in the tribute interviews to attract sponsors.
The Games commence in a stunningly beautiful but deadly arena rife with poisonous hazards. Haymitch abandons the Newcomer alliance to carry out his sabotage plan. Wyatt is killed on the first day while protecting Lou Lou. Briefly accompanied by Lou Lou, who soon dies by inhaling toxic pollen, Haymitch and Ampert reunite to enter an access channel designed to release genetically mutated creatures ("mutts") and trigger the explosives, flooding the subterranean channels of the arena. However, aside from brief, promising technical malfunctions, the flood fails to disable the arena's computer systems. Haymitch returns to the arena's surface to find a pack of carnivorous squirrel mutts swarming Ampert and mutilating him. Later, encountering 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 perimeter. They encounter more Careers, and during the ensuing fight, the tributes stumble upon a surprised trio of Gamemakers performing maintenance, whom Maysilee and a Career, Maritte, kill before fleeing. Haymitch and Maysilee find a power generator at the arena's edge, and Haymitch finds that a protective force field near the generator repels objects thrown at it. After splitting up with Haymitch, Maysilee is killed by waterbird mutts sent to punish her for killing the Gamemakers. With three tributes remaining, Haymitch seeks out the last remaining Newcomer, Wellie. He finds her up a tree, starving. After leaving to search for firewood, Haymitch returns to find Wellie killed by the final Career tribute, Silka. In a final confrontation at the arena's edge, Silka is inadvertently killed by her axe bouncing off the force field. A grievously injured Haymitch detonates a final explosive against the force field as a last-ditch attempt to destroy the arena. He is rendered unconscious by the blast, but the arena still remains intact.
Haymitch awakens in the Capitol and is then forced to attend public events. He realizes that the televised Games have been heavily edited to erase signs of rebellion and to make him look self-serving. President Snow privately tells Haymitch, "Enjoy your homecoming." Upon returning to District 12, Haymitch discovers 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 gumdrop, 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 loss, Haymitch retreats into isolation and heavy alcoholism in the Victors' Village, distancing himself from former friends. However, during the Victory Tour, Plutarch's encouragement spurs him to keep fighting.
In the epilogue, set after the original series, Haymitch tells Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark about his past, finding peace in caring for goose eggs from Katniss in memory of Lenore Dove.
Characters
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 in an accident 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 – 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.
Capitol Residents Plutarch Heavensbee – Capitol cameraman assigned to District 12 tributes. Drusilla Sickle – Capitol escort for the District 12 tributes. Magno's estranged wife. 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. Drusilla's estranged husband.
Mentors Mags – 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 – 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. A member of the Covey. 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. Asterid March -- Burdock's girlfriend and eventual mother of Katniss and Prim.
Release On October 16, 2024, the book's cover and synopsis were revealed on NBC's The Today Show. On January 15, 2025, an excerpt from Chapter 1 was released in an article in People magazine. It revealed details such as the names of Haymitch's brother, Sid Abernathy, and girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird, and that his birthday is reaping day. On March 13, 2025, a clip of Suzanne Collins reading from Sunrise on the Reaping was posted on Scholastic's YouTube page. The scene featured focused on the character of Haymitch's girlfriend, Lenore Dove.
Sunrise on the Reaping had a hardcover release date of March 18, 2025. The audiobook had the same release date. It is narrated by actor Jefferson White.