Forced to break the law in order to provide for his family, surviving when food isn’t available, being separated from his family to be potentially sent to his death… is there anything sixteen year-old Haymitch Abernathy doesn’t have to go through?
On March 18, 2025, established author Suzanne Collins released Sunrise on the Reaping, a prequel to the infamous dystopian series, The Hunger Games. The novel focuses on Haymitch Abernathy, a teenager from District 12, and his endeavors, relationships, and trauma regarding the 50th annual Hunger Games. In the original book trilogy, Haymitch plays the role of an alcoholic, unstable mentor to Katniss and Peeta in the 74th/75th Hunger Games. With the release of Sunrise on the Reaping, readers have the opportunity to see Haymitch through an entirely different light, seeing him as a frightened boy rather than a middle-aged man who has been hardened by his past.
Since the 50th games are the second “quarter quell”, the gamemakers sent 48 kids into the deadly arena instead of the typical 24. Having double the amount of competitors leads to an unprecedented and unimaginable amount of danger, death, and defiance of the Capitol, the home of the government keeping the Hunger Games in place. Haymitch is forced to navigate his emotions while doing everything in his power to stay alive while hoping that his loved ones back at home are okay without him. Throughout the novel, he attempts to come to terms with his imminent fatality, giving him a sense of boldness that the Capitol was not expecting.
While some critics of the novel may claim that the novel is unnecessary to make sense of the other Hunger Games books, Sunrise on the Reaping incorporates foreshadowing throughout the novel, and it reveals background information about characters that the other books are lacking. Student Zara Baig (10) said, “I loved the book so much, the way it connected the characters from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the original Hunger Games trilogy was beautiful. Parts from the original trilogy make much more sense after reading Sunrise on the Reaping.” Baig goes on to explain how there are so many parallels comparing Haymitch and the main character of the original books, Katniss Everdeen. Another student, Gabrielle Laskosky agrees, saying, “Sunrise on the Reaping is an amazing prequel to the Hunger Games that is truly the missing piece to the series. I think it was extremely important to release as it fills in plot holes and also addresses current political issues.”
Fans of The Hunger Games throughout Parkland High School are absolutely loving the brand new prequel. Baig was on an emotional rollercoaster while reading, claiming that, “The book was also very sad, and made it apparent how powerful government propaganda is. It destroyed my friends too.” The new novel exposed readers to inspiring themes of individualism in the midst of chaos. Parkland student Madelyn Kruk described this theme by claiming, “I liked the sunrise on the reaping because it showed how you can make the best out of a terrible situation, and paint your own poster in the end like they say in the book. Even with all of the losses and hardships, everything can end up okay in the end, which I really like.”
Overall, Sunrise on the Reaping has impressed Parkland’s readers despite mixed reviews on the internet. The prequel ties up loose ends and answers questions about character and plot lines in the original book trilogy, and it connects the previous prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with the rest of the timeline.
