If you binge-read Sunrise on the Reaping in one sitting, you’re my kind of person. How could you not, with all The Hunger Games lore that author Suzanne Collins has put up for grabs?? This is off the back of all the questions we were left with after the first prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The only problem with reading so fast is that everything starts to blur together, leaving you with even more questions at the end. If you can’t remember what happened in the original trilogy, I wouldn’t blame you, since it’s been a whopping 15 years since Mockingjay.
Luckily for you, I’ve made physical notes to collate all the Sunrise On The Reaping lore I’ve identified (and yes, my family were very concerned with all the books I had laid out). I had to get my facts straight, after all.
I’m not overthinking things. They are.
Anyway, here’s all the essential lore you need to take away from Sunrise on the Reaping.
In case you haven’t guessed, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for Sunrise on the Reaping, and The Hunger Games in general, really. Tread carefully.
@wtfaleisa 5 stars
♬ Silence – Vick Lezcano
What is Sunrise on the Reaping about?
Set 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping follows fan-favourite Haymitch Abernathy (played in the films by Woody Harrelson) as he fights to survive the 50th Hunger Games. You can snag a copy of Sunrise on the Reaping here.
It opens on the day of the reaping, which also happens to be Haymitch’s 16th birthday. By a cruel twist of fate, this particular Hunger Games tournament is the second Quarter Quell, which the Capitol has chosen to celebrate by demanding double the number of Tributes from each of the 12 districts.
Fans of the original series will already know that Haymitch wins his Hunger Games to become the District 12 mentor to Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) — even if he seems more concerned with his next drink than helping the tributes survive. The question for Sunrise on the Reaping is: how does Haymitch win? And at what cost?
Let’s dive into The Hunger Games universe lore. You can get The Hunger Games Collection here.
@sadieillustrates Replying to @theanneblackwood I hope this helps ! #hungergames #sunriseonthereaping #thehungergames #haymitchabernathy #peetamellark #katnisseverdeen #katnissandpeeta #catchingfire #mockingjay #theballadofsongbirdsandsnakes #tbosas #sotr #presidentsnow #coriolanussnow #suzannecollins #lenoredove #maysileedonner #book #bookreview #bookrec #bookrelease #review ♬ original sound – sadie rose
1. Haymitch was never supposed to be in the 50th Hunger Games
If it wasn’t enough of a cruel twist of fate that Haymitch was born on Reaping Day, he also wasn’t supposed to be in the games in the first place.
It turns out Haymitch’s name wasn’t even called. Instead, it was supposed to be fellow District 12 resident Woodbine Chance. However, Chance tried to run away — and copped a bullet to the head. Haymitch’s girlfriend comforts Woodbine’s mother and, in turn, ends up fighting the Peacekeepers. Haymitch jumps in to defend her, sealing his fate as the replacement District 12 male tribute.
It’s a nod to Katniss similarly being a sacrificial lamb sent to the slaughter — all because she defended someone she cared about: her sister, Primrose.
I repeat — A CRUEL TWIST OF FATE.
@biahardung Respuesta a @icanfixvillains #damianhardung #damianhardungedit #fancast #haymitchabernathy #haymitchabernathyedit #sunriseonthereaping #thehungergames #hungergames #hungergamesedit ♬ Elastic Heart (yeah, let's be clear, I'll trust no one. You did not break me, I'm still fighting for peace) – Sia
2. Haymitch’s girlfriend is a part of the Covey and a Baird
Sunrise on the Reaping confirmed what fans have been theorising on Reddit since The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Haymitch’s girlfriend is a Baird, who descended from the Covey.
If you’re struggling to remember what’s going on there, here’s your quick refresher: the Covey were a group of travelling musicians in the early days of Panem. Many of them (but not all) were members of the Baird family. Sometime shortly before the 10th Hunger Games, they were largely hunted down and executed, with the remaining survivors forced to live a largely isolated life in District 12.
Haymitch’s girlfriend is Lenore Dove Baird, and we’re told that she was raised by her adoptive uncles, Clerk Carmine Clade and Tam Amber. Those names are important because they’re cousins to Lucy Gray Baird, the main protagonist of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. (Tam Amber technically isn’t biologically related, but was raised as part of the fam.)
We know that Lenore’s mother died in childbirth, and what is the only other name in the Covey graveyard — other than Lucy Gray? Maude Ivory, who fans speculate is Lenore’s mother.
I already need a sixth book to confirm our NEW theories. And perhaps a family tree.
@jrreads THIS IS NOT A SPOILER JUST A THEORY, also i highly reccomend reading the poem that Maude gets her name from “Maude Clare” by Christina Rosseti #sunriseonthereaping #thehungergames #haymitchabernathy #lucygraybaird #lenoredove #maudeivory #booktok ♬ Can’t Catch Me Now – from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – Olivia Rodrigo
3. Katniss Everdeen is (distantly) related to Lucy Gray Baird
Hear me out. Okay, so we know Haymitch is best friends with Katniss’s dad, Burdock Everdeen. It’s also confirmed that Burdock is part of the Covey when he refers to Lenore Dove Baird as “cuz.”
“She [Lenore] wasn’t one of Burdock Everdeen’s cousins, but I knew he had some distant ones on his ma’s side,” Haymitch says.
So, we’ve established that Burdock is a Covey — but who is his mother? All signs point to Barb Azure (Lucy Gray’s cousin) since she has no gravestone in the graveyard mentioned above.
This means Lucy Gray is Katniss’ grandmother’s cousin, AKA her first cousin once removed. If President Snow had even the slightest inkling of this, then sheesh; no wonder he hated her so much.
Now, I know that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes director Francis Lawrence told Business Insider that “Lucy Gray, I can say, is definitely not a relative of Katniss.”
However, the new book points out that she is related to Lucy — just distantly. Eat your words, Francis!
@liyalibrary Covey Family Tree how Katniss is related to Covey and Lucy Gray Baird. #coriolanussnow #katnisseverdeen #lucygraybaird #lucygray #lenoredove #sunriseonthereaping #coriolanussnow #balladofsongbirdsandsnakes #tbosas #xcyba #xy #hungergames ♬ A.Vivaldi The Four Season, Summer Presto; Tempo Impetuoso – AllMusicGallery
4. The Covey gave Katniss the Mockingjay pin
We finally get the origin story of the Mockingjay pin from the OG trilogy, which Katniss receives before entering the Hunger Games and later becomes a symbol of the revolution.
The pin was crafted by Tam Amber (who is a part of the Covey) for her friend Maysilee Donner’s 13th birthday. It is then passed down to her niece, Madge Undersee, who gives the Mockingjay pin to Katniss in the first book. This means it’s a Covey heirloom, and Katniss continued her family legacy of rebellion against the Capitol, just like Lucy Gray.
We stan revolution in this bloodline.
@ifyouregonnalie #thehungergames #hungergames #sunriseonthereaping #katnisseverdeen #lucygray #thg #sotr #fyp ♬ Can’t Catch Me Now – from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – Olivia Rodrigo
5. Effie Trinket became District 12’s escort because of a toad
You read that right: Effie Trinket literally became District 12’s escort because of a toad.
In Sunrise on the Reaping, we learn that District 12’s original stylist licks a toad (ew) and gets so high that he can’t do his job. Classic.
Enter our saviour: Effie Trinket. I would never have expected anything less from our Capitol icon.
She saves the day with old clothes and has a cute makeover moment with the District 12 tributes… especially Haymitch. Who knew a toad would lead to this kind of meet-cute? (If meet-cutes were used to describe this kind of mutually assured destruction-level relationship.)
Clearly, she does a pretty good job as a stylist because, in the OG trilogy, we meet Effie as the District 12 escort.
@villaret yes. i made it all about song. #hayffie #effietrinket #haymitchabernathy #hungergames #thg #catchingfire #thehungergamesedit ♬ original sound – vill✶ret
6. Plutarch has been playing the long game the entire time
Okay, so we all knew that rebellion figure Plutarch was one of our men on the inside for at least a while, but we definitely didn’t know HOW long.
In the OG trilogy, Plutarch is introduced in the second book as the new Head Gamemaker, after the previous Head Gamemaker was executed for his monumental fuck-up (AKA letting Katniss and Peeta live). We later learn that he was the working for the rebellion the entire time, using his position of almost unchecked power to get Katniss out of the Games and into District 13.
In Sunrise on the Reaping, we spot our future Head Gamemaker as a cameraman at the reaping assigned to District 12, where he’s already rebelling in little ways. He literally convinces the Peacekeepers not to shoot Lenore — framing it as allowing the audience to see her tears for Haymitch — but really, he’s rooting for Haymitch and encouraging his rebellion all along.
Suck it, Snow.
@emhahee My thoughts on Plutarch #sotr #thg #hungergames #sunriseonthereaping ♬ original sound – emily anne 🍉
7. Katniss and our favourite bread boy have always been connected
Everlark fans are going FERAL over this one. Collins confirmed in Sunrise on the Reaping that Katniss and Peeta have always been connected, which means they’re basically soul mates (in my mind, anyway). Who’s surprised? Not me.
It turns out that Katniss’ dad (Burdock) saved Peeta’s dad’s (Otho Mellark) life when Otho froze in shock after witnessing Woodbine’s death. So, what does Burdock do? Punch him in the knee, hard — so Otho falls to the ground, saving him from getting shot by the Peacekeepers on a killing spree.
“Out of the corner of my eye, I see almost everybody around me follow suit, but Otho Mellark, a big lug of a guy whose folks own the bakery, seems bewildered,” a passage from Haymitch’s point of view reads. “His meaty hands dangle loosely at his sides, and his feet shuffle back and forth, and then I notice his blond hair splattered with someone’s blood. Burdock punches him hard in the back of his knee, and it’s enough to get him down on the ground and out of the line of fire.”
If Katniss’ dad hadn’t saved Peeta’s dad, I’m sure you’ve gathered that Peeta wouldn’t exist. Then who would’ve fed our Mockingjay bread when she was dying of starvation?
Even if Katniss had figured out another way to find food for herself and her family, she definitely wouldn’t have survived the Hunger Games without Peeta. He is what makes Katniss desirable and likeable to the Capitol. Without Peeta, Katniss wouldn’t have gotten sponsors, saving her countless times throughout the games.
They were always meant to be, and I stand by it. Take that, Gale sympathisers.
@paigenicolewrites Invisible string theory fr #sunriseonthereaping #hungergames #katnissandpeeta #haymitchabernathy ♬ Nothing You Can Take From Me (Boot-Stompin' Version) – from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – Rachel Zegler & The Covey Band
8. Update on the Lucy Gray timeline
Although we don’t get a lot of info on Lucy Gray in Sunrise On The Reaping, we do get an update on the timeline. We now know that she still hasn’t returned to District 12, more than 40 years after disappearing.
Instead, the Covey presumptively created a tombstone for her.
Fans speculate that they’re just covering her tracks for when Snow sniffs around. This leads me to believe that we’re definitely getting a third prequel book soon.
If we don’t, I’m personally hunting Collins down for closure. This is serious business.
@karissas_booktok Replying to @Emily #greenscreen also, Tam Ambers “not again” hints they know something happened to LG becuase of Snow. #thehungergames #sunriseonthereaping #haymitchabernathy #fyp #coriolanussnow #theballadofsongbirdsandsnakes #lucygraybaird #bookreview #katnisseverdeen #peetamellark ♬ original sound – karissas_booktok
Easter eggs
Last but certainly not least, we’re just going to rapid-fire through Sunrise on the Reaping easter eggs.
- Haymitch is mentored by both Mags and Wiress, who, if you remember, Katniss forms an alliance with in the third Quarter Quell.
- Haymitch nicknames Katniss ‘sweetheart’ as a form of mocking endearment, just like he did with fellow District 12 tribute Luella, who he treated like a younger sister. She ultimately didn’t make it to the arena after getting killed in the Tribute Parade but was later replaced by a heavily drugged lookalike, so the audience had no idea. Now that’s dark.
- Lenore reminds President Snow of Lucy Gray, telling Haymitch: “She’s delightful to look at, swishes around in bright colours, and sings like a Mockingjay. You love her. And oh, how she seems to love you. Except sometimes you wonder because her plans don’t include you at all.” Let her go, dude. No situationship is worth this much grief.
- Beetee’s son Ampert was reaped for the 50th Hunger Games as punishment for sabotaging the Capitol’s communication systems. He’s forced to mentor Ampert and later watches him get brutally mauled to death.
- Beetee, Plutarch, and Haymitch plan a rebellion against the Hunger Games — which Katniss finally brings to fruition in the main trilogy. “She’s like me, Peeta always says,” Haymitch notes as the book wraps up. “But she was smarter than me or luckier. She’s the one who finally kept that sun from rising.”
@sirbookselot It’s the most hunger games hunger games book ever in terms of LORE. #hungergames #sunriseonthereaping #booktok #bookreview #bookrecommendations ♬ War – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
My final question is, if Snow killed everyone Haymitch ever cared about, what really happened to his best friend, AKA Katniss’ dad? After all, accidents happen in a mine all the time, don’t they?
Which number is Sunrise on the Reaping?
Sunrise on the Reaping is the second prequel in The Hunger Games series, which takes place 40 years after the first prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. You can buy The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes here.
The next book hasn’t been announced yet, but with everything going on in the world and the eery parallels between President Snow and Donald Trump… I’d be surprised if Collins doesn’t release a third prequel book soon.
The icing on the cake would be setting the next book in the future (now) and naming the dictator (this is purely theoretical, don’t sue/force me into the Hunger Games, please), President Trump-et.
@zoe.may42 #panem #usa #donaldtrump #coriolanussnow #presidentsnow #presidenttrump #thehungergames #viral #fyp ♬ original sound – 🌞
Is Sunrise on the Reaping going to be turned into a movie?
Yes, Sunrise on the Reaping will be turned into a movie. It is set to be released in Australia around November 2026. The question on everyone’s lips, though, is who will play Haymitch?? It’s early days, but fans are debating between Outer Banks Rudy Pankow or The White Lotus star Leo Woodall. You can find more info about the movie here.
@hungergamesofficial Welcome to the Second Quarter Quell. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters November 20, 2026. #TheHungerGames ♬ The Hunger Games Whistle – Lionsgate
If you can’t wait for the next book (like us), we’ve compiled our fave The Hunger Games merch below to fill the void.
Sunrise on the Reaping special edition
Can’t you just imagine how this special edition of Sunrise on the Reaping will look on your bookshelf? I’m obsessed with the gold detailing and velvet wrap.
A personalised letter from Haymitch (no, I’m not kidding)
You can finally live out your Haymitch fantasy with a personalised letter from him. Also, $10 for a 1500+ word count? What a bargain.
Peeta engraved wooden spoon
Now, YOU can bake bread with Peeta. He’ll even help you stir the dough. Move aside, Katniss; he’s feeding us bread this time.
The Hunger Games candle
Hopefully, your family will get the hint that you want to be left alone with your book. You can even personalise the candle with your name or the names of your book besties.
Katniss’s bow and arrow
You can look just like Katniss with this cosplay bow and arrow by wearing your hair in a braid.
‘That is mahogany!’ jumper
I think we all fell in love with Effie Trinket based on this quote alone. So why not get this iconic saying on a jumper?
Mockingjay epilogue bookmark
How cute are these bookmarks???
Mockingjay pin leather bracelet
Now, you can proudly wear the sign of the resistance with this badass Mockingjay pin leather bracelet.
Baby girl Josh Heuston stickers
When I showed my editor the baby girl stickers, she said, “Need.”
Girl dinner flag
This girl dinner flag is also a need.
Go eat Hunger Games fans.
The post 8 Vital Pieces Of The Hunger Games Lore We Learned From Sunrise On The Reaping appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
