Book Summary and Reviews of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping

A Hunger Games Novel

by Suzanne Collins

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2025, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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.

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What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (11/6/2025)
...raordinarily well researched study of the dark side of a beloved American company. I will not say more except it is truly horrifying. I just finished Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - another book in the hunger games series. I truly enjoy her books and though not her best was still great escapism
-Dianne_S

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"A heartbreaking crescendo and another grimly irresistible chapter in the saga of this interlocking series." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"[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)

This information about Sunrise on the Reaping was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Suzanne Collins Author Biography

In 1991, Suzanne Collins began her professional career writing for children's television. She worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! with her friend, Peter Bakalian, which was nominated for a WGA Award in Animation. Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment's Clifford's Puppy Days,and a freelancer on Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children's author and illustrator James Proimos, who talked her into giving children's books a try.

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