The Short Version
If you’re new to the Hunger Games, or catching up before the new movie, this one’s for you. Here’s every book and every movie, in order, with the two ways to read them. Spoilers for the first book only.
The short version: five books, and the sixth movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, arrives in theaters on November twentieth, twenty twenty six.
The Original Trilogy
The story starts with the original trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games, from two thousand eight. Catching Fire, from two thousand nine. And Mockingjay, from twenty ten.
These follow Katniss Everdeen, from the reaping in District Twelve to the end of the war against the Capitol.
The Prequels
Then Collins went back in time with two prequels. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, from twenty twenty, is set sixty four years before Katniss, and follows a teenage Coriolanus Snow, the future president, at the tenth Hunger Games.
Sunrise on the Reaping, from March twenty twenty five, is set twenty four years before Katniss. It follows a sixteen year old Haymitch Abernathy at the fiftieth Games, the Second Quarter Quell.
Publication Order
So how should you read them? My recommendation for first timers is publication order: the trilogy first, then Ballad, then Sunrise.
The prequels are written for readers who already know what happens. Half the fun is spotting the names, songs and places that matter later.
Chronological Order
If you’re rereading, try chronological order instead: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, then Sunrise on the Reaping, then The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
You’ll watch Panem change across sixty five years, and see Snow and Haymitch become the men Katniss meets.
Where Book One Leaves Us
Quick reminder of where book one ends. Katniss and Peeta won together by threatening to eat poison berries. The Capitol is furious.
Katniss has told Peeta that much of their romance was for the cameras, and she doesn’t know what she feels. And she’s about to go home to Gale.
What To Expect From Catching Fire
No Catching Fire spoilers, but here’s the setup. Katniss and Peeta have to tour the districts as victors. And the districts are restless.
President Snow visits Katniss personally, and he makes it clear what he wants. Many fans think Catching Fire is the best book in the series.
The Movies
The movies follow the same order. The Hunger Games came out in twenty twelve, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta.
Then Catching Fire in twenty thirteen, Mockingjay Part One in twenty fourteen and Part Two in twenty fifteen. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes followed in twenty twenty three.
Sunrise On The Reaping, The Movie
The sixth movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, opens on November twentieth, twenty twenty six. It’s directed by Francis Lawrence, who directed every film since Catching Fire.
Joseph Zada plays young Haymitch, with Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch, Elle Fanning as Effie, Kieran Culkin as Caesar, and Ralph Fiennes as President Snow.
Watch Order
For the movies, release order works perfectly. If you only have time for one before Sunrise, rewatch the first Hunger Games, so you know the Haymitch that Katniss meets.
And there have been reports that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson appear in it. Nothing’s fully confirmed until we see it.
Your Turn
Which book is your favorite, and are you seeing Sunrise on the Reaping in theaters? Tell me in the comments. My review and ending explained are linked below.
