It feels like I'm thirteen years old again. If you have ever read The Hunger Games, you know what Haymitch is like, but what made him so cold and distant? Suzanne Collins brings us back to the 50th Annual Hunger Games, with sixteen-year-old Haymitch getting reaped into the games on his birthday, but not by chance. Just know I could not put this book down at all!
— NicoleThe unforgettable fifth book in the Hunger Games series: Haymitch’s story. Feature film scheduled for November 2026.
#1 USA Today Bestseller • #1 New York Times Bestseller • #1 Indie Bestseller • #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller • A New York Times Editors’ Choice
“A propulsive, brutal Hunger Games prequel is here. And it’s great.” The New York Times
When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?
As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
Praise for SUNRISE ON THE REAPING:
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
“A propulsive, brutal Hunger Games prequel is here. And it’s great.” The New York Times
“Yes, the new Hunger Games prequel is really that good. Everything Hunger Games fans could want and more.” USA Today
“Collins is awfully good at what she does. It’s a life-giving book.” PEOPLE
"Like Margaret Atwood and George Orwell before her, Collins’ novels have become part of the lexicon, an adjective — this is very Hunger Games — used to illustrate government overreach and authoritarianism. The Hunger Games series, including Sunrise on the Reaping, is a central part in the American dystopian literary canon.” MSNBC
“[I]t's as if Collins is asking us to reflect on how much we really know of our history, and how much power we have in ensuring that our current truths have a place in the future.” NPR
“Sunrise on the Reaping…succeeds in the near-impossible task of making a well-trod story feel as intimate and visceral as its predecessors.” ELLE
“Genuinely outstanding.” Paste
“Equal parts touching and deeply sad.” Teen Vogue
★ “[A] brutal tale of compassion and rage, and a frank examination of propaganda and tragedy, that will satisfy longtime series fans and newcomers alike.” Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
★ “Raw, shocking, and deeply bittersweet, Haymitch’s backstory pulls the pieces of the Hunger Games universe together with ease….Collins has mentioned in past interviews that she would not return to this series unless she had something to say—and she has a lot to say.” Booklist, Starred Review
★ “Required reading for fans of the original trilogy. A must-have." School Library Journal, Starred Review