# Hunger Games Books in Order (and Where Sunrise on the Reaping Fits) **Published:** October 29, 2026 **Author:** Achriom **URL:** https://www.achriom.com/blog/hunger-games-books-in-order > The five Hunger Games books in publication order and in story order, where the two prequels fit, and which film adapts which book before Sunrise on the Reaping opens November 20. **Tags:** books, guide, movies, recommendations --- **Read the Hunger Games books in the order Suzanne Collins published them: *The Hunger Games*, *Catching Fire*, *Mockingjay*, then the prequels *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* and *Sunrise on the Reaping*.** The film of *Sunrise on the Reaping* opens in theaters on November 20, 2026, so you have three weeks to get there. The story order is different, because both prequels happen decades before Katniss. Here are the two side by side, then each book in publication order, then which film adapts which book. ## Two orders at a glance Publication order, with the year each book came out: 1. *The Hunger Games* (2008) 2. *Catching Fire* (2009) 3. *Mockingjay* (2010) 4. *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* (2020) 5. *Sunrise on the Reaping* (2025) Story order, with when each is set: 1. *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes*, the 10th Games, 64 years before *The Hunger Games* 2. *Sunrise on the Reaping*, the 50th Games, 24 years before *The Hunger Games* 3. *The Hunger Games*, the 74th Games 4. *Catching Fire*, the 75th Games 5. *Mockingjay*, the rebellion that follows Dates are from the series' [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(novel_series)) page, and all five books are from Scholastic. The settings come from the Wikipedia pages for [The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_and_Snakes) and [Sunrise on the Reaping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise_on_the_Reaping). ## The five Hunger Games books in publication order ### 1. *The Hunger Games* (2008) ![The Hunger Games (2008)](/blog/assets/hunger-games-books-in-order/the-hunger-games-book.jpg) In the ruins of what was North America, the Capitol holds twelve districts in line by making each one send a boy and a girl to a televised fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen, from the poorest district, volunteers to take her sister's place. It was published on September 14, 2008 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(novel_series))), and everything else in the series is built on it. The page is [The Hunger Games](https://www.achriom.com/book/the-hunger-games-the-hunger-games-1). ### 2. *Catching Fire* (2009) ![Catching Fire (2009)](/blog/assets/hunger-games-books-in-order/catching-fire-book.jpg) Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark go home to District 12 as rebellion spreads through the districts. Then the Capitol announces a special Quarter Quell that draws its tributes from the surviving victors, which sends Katniss back into an arena. It was published September 1, 2009, runs about 391 pages ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catching_Fire)), and is [Catching Fire](https://www.achriom.com/book/catching-fire-the-hunger-games-2) on Achriom. ### 3. *Mockingjay* (2010) ![Mockingjay (2010)](/blog/assets/hunger-games-books-in-order/mockingjay-book.jpg) Katniss is living underground in District 13, headquarters of the rebellion, and agrees to become its "Mockingjay," the face of the uprising, on the condition that the surviving tributes get immunity. The book is built in three parts of nine chapters each, came out August 24, 2010, and runs about 390 pages ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockingjay)). The page is [Mockingjay](https://www.achriom.com/book/mockingjay-the-hunger-games-3). ### 4. *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* (2020) ![The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)](/blog/assets/hunger-games-books-in-order/the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes-book.jpg) Capitol Academy students mentor the tributes in the 10th Hunger Games, in a bid to revive interest in the event. A scholarship prize is on the line, and a young Coriolanus Snow is paired with Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12. It came out May 19, 2020, and is set 64 years before the first book ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Songbirds_and_Snakes)). You can find it as [The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes](https://www.achriom.com/book/the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes-the-hunger-games-0). ### 5. *Sunrise on the Reaping* (2025) ![Sunrise on the Reaping (2025)](/blog/assets/hunger-games-books-in-order/sunrise-on-the-reaping-book.jpg) The newest book is set at the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, 24 years before *The Hunger Games*. The summary on its Achriom page says that to mark the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes, and that Haymitch Abernathy is back in District 12 on reaping day. It is about 400 pages, came out March 18, 2025 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise_on_the_Reaping)), and sits on Achriom as [Sunrise on the Reaping](https://www.achriom.com/book/sunrise-on-the-reaping-the-hunger-games-0-5). ## Publication order or story order? ### If you have never read them Go by publication order. The trilogy introduces Haymitch and Snow as adults, and the two prequels show how each of them got there. That is a better payoff when you already know who they become. The trilogy is also complete by itself, so if you stop at *Mockingjay* you have the whole story. ### If you have read the trilogy Pick the prequel by who you want to spend time with. *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* is the Snow book, and *Sunrise on the Reaping* is the Haymitch book. If the film is the reason you are here, read *Sunrise on the Reaping*, since it is the source. ### If you want the full timeline Read in story order: *Ballad*, *Sunrise*, then the trilogy. It works as a timeline, and you watch Panem change between the 10th Games, the 50th and the 74th. Just know it is not the order Collins released them in, so the prequels' nods to the trilogy come before the trilogy itself. ## Which film adapts which book Each book has a film, and *Mockingjay* has two. | Film | Opened | Adapts | |---|---|---| | [The Hunger Games](https://www.achriom.com/movie/the-hunger-games-2012) | March 2012 | *The Hunger Games* | | [Catching Fire](https://www.achriom.com/movie/the-hunger-games-catching-fire-2013) | November 2013 | *Catching Fire* | | [Mockingjay Part 1](https://www.achriom.com/movie/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-2014) | November 2014 | first part of *Mockingjay* | | [Mockingjay Part 2](https://www.achriom.com/movie/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-2015) | November 2015 | second part of *Mockingjay* | | [The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes](https://www.achriom.com/movie/the-hunger-games-the-ballad-of-songbirds-snakes-2023) | November 17, 2023 | *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* | | [Sunrise on the Reaping](https://www.achriom.com/movie/the-hunger-games-sunrise-on-the-reaping-2026) | November 20, 2026 | *Sunrise on the Reaping* | The dates are from the film pages on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(franchise)). Francis Lawrence directed *The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes* and directs *Sunrise on the Reaping* from a screenplay by Billy Ray ([ABC Audio](https://www.hits1053sanantonio.com/entertainment/the-hunger-games-sunrise-reaping-officially-begins-production/GYEKMD3AYIZX3N47CQ44YQBOAE)). Joseph Zada plays Haymitch, Mckenna Grace plays Maysilee Donner, Ralph Fiennes plays President Snow and Whitney Peak plays Lenore Dove ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise_on_the_Reaping)). If you would like to see how other long series line up against their screen versions, [Dune books in order](/blog/dune-books-in-order/) and [Percy Jackson books in order](/blog/percy-jackson-books-in-order/) work the same way, and [movies you love that were secretly books first](/blog/books-that-became-movies-you-never-guessed/) is a longer list of what else started on a page. ## Keep the books and the films on one shelf If you are about to read five books and watch a film, [Achriom](https://www.achriom.com) lets you track both. It handles books, films, shows, albums, anime, podcasts, games and manga, with statuses (including on hold and did-not-finish), progress by page or percent, start and finish dates, and rereads. The free plan has no item limit, and your shelf is private unless you turn on a public profile. Add the five books, mark where you are, and log *Sunrise on the Reaping* next to them when it opens. The librarian answers questions about what you actually have. Something like "I've finished Mockingjay, which prequel should I read first?" gets an answer from your shelf instead of a generic list. You can ask it in the app, in ChatGPT, in Claude or in Cursor, and the free plan includes 10 librarian messages a month. If your reading history lives in Goodreads, [how to move from Goodreads to Achriom](/blog/how-to-import-your-goodreads-library/) covers the import. ## Questions people ask ### What order should I read the Hunger Games books in? Read them in publication order: The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), Mockingjay (2010), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025). The two prequels land harder once you have met Haymitch and Snow in the trilogy. ### What is the chronological order of the Hunger Games books? Story order is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the 10th Games), Sunrise on the Reaping (the 50th Games), then The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. The Hunger Games takes place in the 74th Games. ### Where does Sunrise on the Reaping fit in the series? It is the second prequel, published in 2025 after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It is set 24 years before The Hunger Games, during the 50th Games, and follows a young Haymitch Abernathy. ### When does the Sunrise on the Reaping movie come out? The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters on November 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence directs, and it adapts the 2025 novel of the same name. ### Do I need to read the books before the Sunrise on the Reaping movie? No, it is a prequel and tells its own story. But Haymitch and Snow are the two characters you know from the trilogy at later ages, and the film is richer if you have met them there first. ### Which Hunger Games movie covers which book? The Hunger Games (2012) adapts The Hunger Games, Catching Fire (2013) adapts Catching Fire, and Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015) split Mockingjay between them. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2026) adapt the two prequels.