Get the latest scoop on the The Hunger Games books in order here. There are now five total books in light of the June 2024 announcement that Sunrise on the Reaping will be one of the biggest book releases of 2025, to be published on March 18, 2025. You’ll learn what you need to know about this and the other books in the bestselling series below, so let’s get literary!
How Many Hunger Games Books Are There?
There are five total Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins:
- The Hunger Games (2008)
- Catching Fire (2009)
- Mockingjay (2010)
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)
- Sunrise on the Reaping (March 18, 2025)
TIPS
- The first three books (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) form a trilogy.
- The fourth book published ten years later, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakess, is a prequel that occurs decades earlier.
- A fifth book in the series, Sunrise on the Reaping, will be published on March 18, 2025.
Recommended Reading Order
The Hunger Games books can be read according to the publication date.
Most readers read The Hunger Games books in order of publication: The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), Mockingjay (2010), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020), and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025).
However, the last two books are prequels that may be read first instead of later.
Alternatively, the reader may choose to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel set several decades before, first.
While not much is known about the 2025 release of Sunrise on the Reaping yet, it is a prequel that takes place after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
About Author Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Books
Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games novels are New York Times bestselling books that have sold over 100 million copies to date. This is thanks, in part, to their popular movie adaptations starring Jennifer Lawrence, including the recent 2023 film release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
These popular Young Adult books begin by following teenager Katniss Everdeen in a dystopian world in which children fight a televised battle royale similar to that of gladiators.
Before becoming a bestselling author, Collins wrote for children’s television, including Nickelodeon shows.
Let’s explore the basic plots of each of the four books in The Hunger Games book series!
There are some very general plot spoilers below since the descriptions of books in a chronological series are discussed.
The Hunger Games (2008; Book 1 of 5)
“When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.”
This famous first line begins The Hunger Games, a book series of four dystopian young adult novels set in the futuristic totalitarian nation of Panem, which is divided into 12 districts and the Capitol.
Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are selected as “tributes” to participate in a televised event in which they must fight for survival in a vast outdoor arena until only one remains.
This story follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen from District 12, who volunteers to take her younger sister’s place. Through her story, themes of survival, inequality, and war are explored.
Catching Fire (2009; Book 2 of 5)
Catching Fire continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who, after winning the Hunger Games, returns to her home in District 12.
But, all is not the same. She has caused controversy in the districts and the Capitol, leading the Capitol to announce a special edition of the Hunger Games, the Quarter Quell, in which Katniss and Peeta Mellark must compete again.
Here, politics, power, and rebellion are explored more deeply.
Mockingjay (2010; Book 3 of 5)
In Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen has become “the Mockingjay” — the symbol of a rebellion against the Capitol.
Now, she must lead the Districts in a full-fledged war against the Capitol and confront everything from love to loss in her epic quest for justice. Here, in addition to power, the moralities of war are explored more deeply, along with the trauma brought upon by it.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020; Book 4 of 5)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel set 64 years before the events in the first three Hunger Games trilogy of books.
This book provides the backstory of the history of Panem with a focus on a young Coriolanus Snow, before his ascent to President of Panem, and it provides the factual foundation for the tyrannical character he became in the stories involving Katniss Everdeen.
Here, the seeds of the themes of power and rebellion are planted.
Sunrise on the Reaping (2025; Book 5 of 5)
The current plot description for Sunrise on the Reaping is:
“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.”
About the book, Suzanne Collins has said:
“With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few’ […] The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”
And, yes, it will be adapted to film, which is set for a 2026 release date.
Bonus: Aesthetic Wallpaper Quote
Recap
The Hunger Games books in order are: The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), Mockingjay (2010), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020), and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025). Most readers read them in order of publication. However, the last two books are prequels that may be read first instead of later.
You can buy these books separately or as part of a set.
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
