# Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping is a dystopian novel written by the American author Suzanne Collins. It is the second prequel novel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released in 2020. It is set 24 years before the events of the first novel. It was released on March 18, 2025, 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

The second prequel begins on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, which was won by character Haymitch Abernathy. As shown in Catching Fire by the Capitol's tapes, for the Second Quarter Quell, the Capitol reaped twice the number of tributes to compete in the Hunger Games. The arena for the games appears to be luscious, but nearly everything was poisonous. While in the arena, Haymitch allies himself with fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner, who saves his life by shooting a poisonous dart into a fellow tribute. Haymitch realizes that a forcefield surrounds the arena and that anything thrown at it bounces back before hearing Maysilee being killed by genetically modified birds. In his final showdown with a Career girl from District 1, Haymitch strategically dodges her axe throw and allows it to hit the forcefield, where it bounces back and hits her in the face, killing her and making him the winner of the games since he has outlasted the other tributes. As punishment for using the arena to his advantage, Haymitch's mother, brother, and girlfriend are all murdered upon orders from President Snow.
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 upcoming novel.

## Plot

On Haymitch Abernathy's sixteenth birthday, he attends the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games. This year's event is the second Quarter Quell, where twice as many tributes are reaped. The second male tribute, Woodbine Chance, is executed when he attempts to escape after being reaped. Haymitch runs to the aid of Lenore Dove, a member of the Covey and his girlfriend, who is in a scuffle with a Peacekeeper over Woodbine's body. He ends up taking his place as the second male tribute for the second Quarter Quell. The Peacekeepers, Drusilla Sickle, the escort for District 12, and Plutarch Heavensbee, a cameraman, re-stage the reaping to cut the violent execution of Woodbine Chance.
On the train to the Capitol, the group of District 12 tributes are brought sandwiches and a birthday cake for Haymitch before Maysilee Donner antagonizes them, notably picking a fight with Drusilla. Haymitch plans an alliance with Louella McCoy, his thirteen-year-old friend from the Seam. They leave out Maysilee, who Haymitch and Lenore Dove dislike for her wealth and attitude, and Wyatt Callow, an oddsmaker from a family of bookmarkers who take bets on the Hunger Games, a taboo in District 12.
When they arrive in the Capitol the tributes are escorted to an old gymnasium dubbed the "TRIBUTE CENTER". Here they are separted by sex and stripped to be groomed in advance of the Games. Proserpina and Vitus are the University students assigned to District 12 as their prep team, alongside Magno Stift, a drunk reptile obsessed stylist, who arrives late and forces them to wear old costumes to the Tribute Parade. During the parade a firework is launched at the their chariot and sends everything into chaos. Louella is killed and Haymitch takes her body to the end of the parade route, President Snow's mansion. He lays her body on the foot of the steps leading to the entrance and applauds him. Snow notices his bird and snake token.
Since District 12 has no living victors, the tributes from 12 are given Wiress from District 3 (the victor from the Forty-ninth Hunger Games) and Mags Flanagan (the victor from the Eleventh Hunger Games) as their mentors. Their mentors are among the few in the capital who treat them decently. Drusilla Sickle is replaced by Effie Trinket, Proserpina’s sister.
During the training period the non-Career districts form an alliance called the Newcomers, featuring Ampert from District 3, son of Beetee Latier (the Victor of the thirty fourth Hunger Games). On the way back to their Capitol apartment, Haymitch is taken to meet with President Snow in Plutarch Heavensbee's family mansion. Here, an ill Snow greets Haymitch and Plutarch, and the pair help the vomiting President of Panem, who is suffering from food poisoning. Haymitch refuses to help by downing a pitcher of milk, meant to ease Snow's stomach. Once Plutarch returns with milk and rolls, Haymitch and the President talk. Snow remarks on his token from Lenore Dove, to which Haymitch confesses it came from his love back home in District 12. Snow speaks knowingly about the Covey, their naming practices, and the likely singing nature of Lenore Dove. He tells Haymitch that his behavior has guaranteed his death in the arena, but that if he “behaves” from now on, Snow can make sure it’s a quick death and Haymitch’s family and lover will live.
On his way out from Snow’s mansion, a girl looking like Louella McCoy is brought before Haymitch. She is a body double who has been forced to replace the deceased Louella and drugged by the Capitol to "act normal" via a pump in her chest. She rejoins the group during the next day of training. At first they are wary of her, but quickly become sympathetic when they see how badly she’s been abused by the Capitol. They decide to call her Lou Lou, as using Louella is too painful.
At the end of the training period the tribute evaluations take place and Haymitch scores a historically low 1. In the middle of the night, Beetee comes to Haymitch and gives him information about how to hijack the games and take down "the brain" of the arena. They come up with a plan to blow up a water tank and flood the system underneath the arena.
During the televised interviews with Cesar Flickerman, Haymitch plays up his naughty not dangerous rascal persona, hoping to win sponsors for the Games despite his low score and run ins with Peacekeepers and President Snow. Plutarch is able to get Haymitch a call with Lenore Dove before the Games start where he is able to share a final goodbye and "I love you like all-fire".
The Games begin, and eighteen tributes are killed in the bloodbath at the start, while fighting over weapons and supplies in an area in the center of the arena known as the Cornucopia. Haymitch follows Wiress' advice and grabs supplies and heads North to carry out his plan with Ampert. He eventually realizes that the water and food in the arena are poison and they have to rely on supplies and sponsor gifts. Lou Lou eventually finds Haymitch but shortly dies after inhaling toxic bee balm. He rips out the pump in her chest to free her from a slow death.
Eventually Haymitch reunites with Ampert and he shows him the mutt gate where the butterflies came from. At night the two execute the plan to drown the brain of the arena. They succeed but when Haymitch finally makes it back up the ladder to the arena Ampert is being attached by squirrel mutts. They do not engage Haymitch despite his attempts to get them off him and the mutts leave nothing but his bones and axe.
The mountain in the arena erupts, spewing lava everywhere. Haymitch encounters a group including Panache, one of the Careers, but Maysilee saves him with a blow dart. The two reunite and run into three Gamemakers, and then Silka and Maritte, the final Careers in the game. The two pairs go separate ways, and Haymitch and Maysilee find a cliff at the edge of the arena. They decide to go their separate ways when Haymitch refuses to go back. He notices the force field protecting the generator. Maysilee's screams draw him away and he finds her being attacked by pink mutt birds. Maritte dies. Silka kills Wellie from District 6. Silka and Haymitch fight and he flings his ax at the force field, which bounces back and hits her in the head, killing her.
After the Games Haymitch wakes up in the Capitol and eventually returns to the apartment alone with a port in his chest. He spends several days alone before being met by Effie Trinket to prepare for his interview with Cesar, after which President Snow appears and tells him to “enjoy his homecoming”. Haymitch is taken to several interviews and post Game parties, where he is treated as a glorified pet.
Haymitch returns to District 12 with the bodies of the three other tributes in coffins. He finds his home on fire and his mother and brother, Sid, dead. The next morning he reunites with his love Lenore Dove in the meadow. As the two releish in their reunion she dies after being poisoned by a red gumdrop from Snow. Haymitch eventually moves into the Victor's village with only alcohol as his company after he pushed away all his friends for fear of their death in association with him.
The epilogue features Haymitch during the events of the original trilogy where he learns to open up about his past through Peeta and Katniss' companionship. They gift him goose eggs to hatch and raise in Lenore Dove's honor.

## Characters

* Haymitch Abernathy - The protagonist of the novel. Second male tribute from District 12 for the fiftieth Hunger Games. He is outspoken, short tempered, and trying his best to return to his family and girlfriend in District 12.
* Lenore Dove Baird - Lenore Dove is Haymitch's girlfriend. She is Covey, a once nomadic music group forced to settle in District 12 after the war.
* Louella McCoy - First female tribute from District 12 for the fiftieth Hunger Games. She is killed during the Tribute Parade and replaced with a body double by the Capitol.
* Maysilee Donner - Second female tribute from District 12 for the fiftieth Hunger Games. She is the original owner of the mockingjay pin which is given to Katniss in The Hunger Games. Has a twin sister Merrilee Donner.
* Wyatt Callow - First male tribute from District 12 for the fiftieth Hunger Games.
* Wiress - Victor of the forty ninth Hunger Games. Mentor for the District 12 tributes during the Second Quarter Quell.
* Mags Flanagan - Victor of the eleventh Hunger Games. Mentor for the District 12 tributes during the Second Quarter Quell.
* Drusilla Sickle - Capitol escort for the District 12 tributes during the fiftieth Hunger Games.
* Plutarch Heavensbee - Capitol cameraman assigned to District 12 tributes during the fiftieth Hunger Games.
* Ampert - Male tribute from District 3 for the fiftieth Hunger Games. He is Beetee's son. Part of the Newcomers alliance and an ally of Haymitch.
* Effie Trinket - Newly assigned escort and stylist for the District 12 tributes during the fiftieth Hunger Games.
* Sid Abernathy - Haymitch's brother.