March Book Club

We made it through February! And we're now three months into this year, which feels like the start of a dystopian era novel. So, what else would I recommend except the newly released addition to The Hunger Games series?

Sunrise on the Reaping

This prequel to The Hunger Games is all about Katniss' mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. When I read the original series, Haymitch was my favorite character. While other girls were on Team Peeta or Team Gale, this gal stood firm in the Team Haymitch camp - so I was thrilled when the announcement came out that the next book in this world would be his story.

It starts on Haymitch's sixteenth birthday, when he's pulled into the 50th Hunger Games. And it's not surprising to find that he and Katniss have a lot in common. Like Katniss, Haymitch enters into the Hunger Games as a result of protecting someone he loves. Then, while parading about the Capitol and training pre-games, he takes in the extravagant and over-indulgent world around him with as much bitterness and disgust as fascination. Where he diverges from Katniss is when the Games begin.

In the Hunger Games, Katniss was focused on surviving and getting home to Prim. For Haymitch, it's all about dying with dignity and showing up the Capitol. He is a rebel, through and through. Or rascal, if you prefer. He didn't plan on winning the Games, nor did he expect what awaits him when he gets home.

Read Sunrise on the Reaping to discover more about Katniss' mysterious mentor and get a little more insight into his motives in the original trilogy.