Sunrise on the Reaping

The 25th annual Hunger Games features a brutal twist: twice the number of boys and girls will be selected as tributes to compete in this televised fight to the death. On Haymitch Abernathy’s 16th birthday, he is chosen to compete in the Games and is sent to the Capitol with three other tributes to prepare. After a series of tragic events in the Capitol, Haymitch finds himself in the middle of a rebel plot to destroy the arena where the Hunger Games are held.  

When the Games begin, Haymitch finds himself in an arena where nothing is as it seems. The arena, which appears to be an idyllic paradise, comes with a catch: everything in it is poisonous. Haymitch faces a near-impossible task. In order to make it home, he must survive the dangers of the arena and outlive the 47 other tributes, many of whom are his friends and allies. Survival is not Haymitch’s only goal, and as the brutality of the Games unfolds around him, he becomes more determined to complete his mission of destroying the arena. But will his rebellion come at a cost?  

Haymitch is a courageous and caring protagonist, and many of his actions are driven by a desire to protect others. Although he faces terrible circumstances, Haymitch remains kind and loyal to his friends and allies. Fans of the original Hunger Games trilogy will be interested to meet this version of Haymitch, who is just as abrasive and jaded as he is in the previous books. However, Sunrise on the Reaping shows both Haymitch’s growth and his downfall. At the beginning of the novel, Haymitch is more naïve and easygoing, as he is unaware of the full scope of the Capitol’s horrors. As the story progresses, Haymitch learns to be both an empathetic leader and a strong fighter. Because of all that he has suffered at the hands of the Capitol, Haymitch’s character evolves into the beaten-down version of himself that readers know from the original series. Despite this, Haymitch still holds onto enough hope and strength to help aid in the events of The Hunger Games trilogy.   

When Haymitch is sent to the Capitol, he is separated from his girlfriend, Lenore Dove. Lenore Dove is rebellious, free-spirited, and has a knack for getting into trouble. Another person who impacts Haymitch is Maysilee Donner, an angry, intelligent, and strong-willed teen who he forms a strong alliance with in the arena. Both Lenore’s rebellious streak and Maysilee’s rage give a deeper understanding of the Capitol’s cruelty and the injustices the protagonists face. 

Readers do not have to be familiar with The Hunger Games to understand Sunrise on the Reaping, but the book will be more enjoyable to those who are already fans of the series. Sunrise on the Reaping summarizes key details from the previous book, making it accessible to new readers of the series. Sunrise on the Reaping is similar to the original Hunger Games series in terms of setting and conflict, and much like The Hunger Games trilogy, takes place in District 12, the Capitol, and at a Hunger Games arena. The conflict is also similar, as Haymitch fights against tributes and mutts in the arena, much like how Katniss and Peeta did in the first and second Hunger Games novels. Sunrise on the Reaping takes these familiar elements and uses them to enthrall readers and subvert their expectations. However, Sunrise on the Reaping, as opposed to the original series, is more psychological and political. Rather than focusing mainly on survival in the arena, as the first Hunger Games novel does, Sunrise on the Reaping explores the Capitol’s failings and how these abuses affect the people living under this tyrannical government’s reign. Additionally, this novel is more mature and darker than other books in the Hunger Games series. The mature themes of this novel are handled skillfully and presented in a manner that is accessible to readers. 

Sunrise on the Reaping is a must-read novel that teaches important lessons about trust, friendship, and hope. Despite being placed in horrific situations, the protagonists support one another and help each other to become the best versions of themselves. Haymitch often acts selflessly and is dedicated to defending and protecting his friends. This novel is fast-paced, detailed, and tells an enthralling story that will make readers reflect. Sunrise on the Reaping is an action-packed and emotionally charged addition to the Hunger Games Series. Filled with ideas of trust, hope, and survival, readers will look deeper than the words on the page and consider the themes of this book. In this novel, Suzanne Collins weaves together a story featuring complex new characters and beloved fan favorites. Sunrise on the Reaping is an interesting and engaging novel that readers will struggle to put down and will remember long after they turn the final page.   

Sexual Content  

• Haymitch and Lenore Dove kiss often during the few scenes they share together. Haymitch narrates, “Then I kiss her again. And again. And she kisses me right back.” 

Violence  

• This novel contains many violent scenes, and over 50 people (most of them children) die. 

• Woodbine, a boy who is selected to compete in the Games, tries to escape and is shot in the head. “Just when I’m thinking he might make it — all those chance kids run like greased lightning — a shot rings out from the Justice Building rooftop, and the back of Woodbine’s head explodes.” 

• While protecting Lenore Dove, Haymitch is hit in the head with a rifle. “I leap in to shield her, just in time to intercept the rifle butt that slams against my temple. Pain explodes in my head as jagged lights cut through my vision.” Haymitch is knocked to the ground, but he recovers.  

• Maysilee and a Capitol worker named Drusilla slap each other after Maysilee insults Drusilla’s age and clothing. “Drusilla hauls off and slaps Maysilee, who, without missing a beat, slaps her right back. A real wallop. Drusilla’s knocked off her boots and into the chair I recently vacated.” 

• After Maysilee slaps Drusilla, Drusilla beats her with a riding crop. “Drusilla flies up, rips the riding crop from her boot clip, and begins beating Maysilee, who cries out and raises her arms to protect her head. But the blows keep raining down, forcing her to the floor.” 

• When the tributes are being presented in a parade, Haymitch’s friend Louella is killed in a chariot crash. “One of her braids rests in the blood leaking from the back of her skull, which cracked open when she hit the pavement.”  

• A rabbit drinks poisoned water and “starts squealing like a baby bird, goes stiff as a board, then falls over dead. A trickle of red stains the fur on its chin.” 

• Haymitch’s friend, Lou Lou, inhales poisonous pollen from flowers, and Haymitch states, “I cradle her in my arms as the convulsions begin. There is nothing I can do but watch, helpless again . . . her skin begins to turn blue.” Lou Lou dies. 

• Haymitch’s friend, Ampert, is eaten by squirrel-like mutts. “One flies through the air and lands at my feet. Before it springs back up, I spy a bloody scrap of electric-blue fabric snagged on its incisors, and everything becomes clear. Carnivorous mutts. Tearing Ampert apart . . . Panting, I watch them fade away. Then I turn back to what I am meant to witness. A small white skeleton, stripped clean to the bone.” 

• Haymitch gets into a fight with the other tributes in the arena. “A girl tribute from District 4 lunges with her trident pointed at my neck, I clumsily deflect with my left arm and whip out my knife just in time to drive it into her gut. Rolling to the side, I encounter a leg and hamstring it, leaving her district partner writhing on the ground. Scrabbling to my feet, I pull out the ax and cleave open his neck with a single adrenaline-fueled blow.” Both the girl and her partner die. 

• Haymitch gets into a one-on-one fight with a tribute named Panache. “With a single swoop, he knocks the ax from my hand, his blade drawing blood, and then slams the shield into my chest so hard I lose my grip on my knife.” Haymitch recovers and the pair keep fighting.  

• Maysilee shoots Panache in the throat with a poison dart. “What I see is the surprise that transforms his face as the dart pierces his throat.” Panache dies. 

• Ladybug-like mutts attack Haymitch and Maysilee. “All up and down [Haymitch’s] arms, the creatures latch onto the flesh. Within seconds, they inflate to the size of acorns and begin exploding, splattering my face with my blood.” They pull the mutts off of their bodies and recover from their injuries.  

• Haymitch and Maysilee discover Buck and Chickory, two other tributes, stabbed with needles. “About fifteen feet away, Buck and Chickory lie writhing on the ground. Long spikes that resemble knitting needles protrude from their flesh. They paw at them with clumsy hands, as if they’ve got really bad frostbite, or something’s disabled their fingers.”  

• In the arena, Haymitch and Maysilee encounter three Gamemakers along with two other tributes, Silka and Maritte. Maritte and Maysilee attack the Gamemakers. “Maritte’s arm snaps back and I think I’m a goner, but the trident whistles over my head and lodges in the mopper, sending him down into a pillow of poppies. Almost simultaneously, the woman with the drill grabs at the spot beneath her ear and comes away with a dart. She collapses as the final Gamemaker plunges head-first through the open berm into Sub-A. It takes a few moments before we hear her skull crack on the concrete below.” All three Gamemakers die.  

• A group of flamingo-like mutts kill Maysilee. “They dive again and again at Maysilee, who’s kneeling on the ground, trying to use a tarp as protection while she vehemently slices at them with her dagger. A couple of dead birds lie on the ground, but they have taken their toll. Blood blossoms from her cheek, her chest, the palm of her hand.”   

• A tribute named Wellie is decapitated in the arena by another tribute. Haymitch narrates, “In [Silka’s] right hand, her ax. Her left holds Wellie’s head, eyes still open, mouth agape. The only movement, the only sound, comes from the blood dripping into the pine needles on the forest floor. Wellie’s body lies crumpled in a heap a few feet away.” 

• Haymitch stabs Silka in the eye. “In a last-ditch effort, I yank my knife from my belt and drive it back over my shoulder. A shriek.” Silka recovers enough to keep fighting against Haymitch.  

• Silka is killed when an ax she throws rebounds into her head. “Then there’s the return of the whistle, her moment of confusion as the spinning ax catches the sunlight, and the dull sickening sound as it lodges in her head.” 

• Haymitch holds his intestines in after he is struck in the gut with an ax by Silka. “My last sensations are of the slippery coils of my intestines in one hand . . . ” Haymitch is saved by the Capitol because he is the last tribute alive, and the victor of the Hunger Games.  

• Haymitch accidentally gives Lenore Dove a gumdrop that has been poisoned by the Capitol. “A blood-flecked foam bubbles up over her lips” and she dies. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• Haymitch brews moonshine with a woman named Hattie Meeney. “Brewing white liquor with Hattie Meeney is dicey business, but it’s a picnic compared to killing rats or cleaning outhouses.” 

• Haymitch is drugged by the Capitol to keep him unconscious. “A coldness surges from the needle planted in my arm. Nothingness.” 

• Haymitch becomes an alcoholic. “My liver’s wrecked and I only dry out when the train’s late. I drink differently these days, though, less to forget, more out of habit.” 

Language  

• The word hell is used rarely.  

• The word jackass is used rarely. For example, Haymitch says, “Oh, hello again, jackass!” 

Supernatural  

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None