The Hunger Games Books in Order: How Many Are There, What Age Are They For, and Where Sunrise on the Reaping Fits

The short answer: there are five Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. In publication order they are The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), Mockingjay (2010), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025). In chronological order, the two prequels come first: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, then Sunrise on the Reaping, then the original trilogy. For a first read, we recommend publication order, starting with The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is one of the defining young adult series of the century, and with a new film of Sunrise on the Reaping due in UK cinemas on 20 November 2026, a whole new wave of readers is asking where to begin. This guide lists the Hunger Games books in order both ways, explains what each one is about without spoiling the big twists, covers what age the series suits, and helps you choose the right box set.

The Hunger Games books in order of publication

This is the order in which Suzanne Collins released the books, and the order most readers meet them in.

The Hunger Games books in chronological order

If you would rather follow the history of Panem from the earliest events to the latest, this is the timeline order.

1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, set at the time of the 10th Hunger Games, decades before Katniss is born.
2. Sunrise on the Reaping, set at the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, 24 years before the first book.
3. The Hunger Games, the 74th Games.
4. Catching Fire, the 75th Games, the Third Quarter Quell.
5. Mockingjay, the war for Panem.

Which order should you read The Hunger Games in?

We recommend publication order for almost everyone reading for the first time. Here is why:

• The prequels assume you know the trilogy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is built around the early life of President Snow, the villain of the original books. Much of its tension comes from knowing who he will become.
• Sunrise on the Reaping deepens a character you already love. Haymitch is Katniss's mentor in the trilogy. Seeing his own Games is far more powerful once you have met the older man.
• The trilogy is the easiest way in. The Hunger Games is fast, tightly plotted and told in Katniss's first-person voice. It hooks reluctant readers in a way the more reflective prequels may not.

Chronological order makes sense for a reread, or for readers who already know the story from the films and want to see the whole arc of Panem play out in sequence. A popular alternative is to read the trilogy first and then the two prequels in timeline order, Ballad then Sunrise, which works out the same as publication order.

What each Hunger Games book is about (spoiler-light)

1. The Hunger Games

In the nation of Panem, the Capitol forces each of its twelve districts to send one boy and one girl to fight to the death in a televised arena every year. When her younger sister Prim's name is drawn, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place. With Peeta Mellark, the baker's son from District 12, she must survive both the arena and the cameras.

2. Catching Fire

Katniss's victory has sparked unrest, and the Capitol wants her back under control. A special anniversary Games, the Quarter Quell, changes the rules in a way nobody expected. Many readers say this is the best book in the series.

3. Mockingjay

The final book of the trilogy moves from the arena to all-out war. Katniss becomes the reluctant symbol of a rebellion, and the story asks hard questions about propaganda, power and the cost of fighting. It is the darkest of the three.

4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is assigned to mentor a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games: Lucy Gray Baird, a singer from District 12. It is a longer, slower and more thoughtful book, about ambition and how a person becomes a tyrant. Readers who loved the worldbuilding tend to love it.

5. Sunrise on the Reaping

On the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, Haymitch Abernathy of District 12 is chosen to compete. This book fills in one of the biggest gaps in the series' history and connects closely to characters and places from the trilogy.

A quick guide to Panem for new readers

You do not need any background to start The Hunger Games, but a few names come up again and again across all five books. This short guide is handy for anyone reading the prequels after a long gap, or for parents who want to follow what their teenager is talking about.

• Panem is the nation that rose from the ruins of North America. It is ruled from the wealthy Capitol, which controls the surrounding districts.
• The districts each produce something for the Capitol. District 12, home of Katniss and Haymitch, is a poor coal-mining district on the edge of the map.
• The reaping is the ceremony where each district's tributes are chosen by lottery.
• Tributes are the young people sent into the arena. Each one is assigned a mentor, usually a past winner from their district.
• The Quarter Quell is a special edition of the Games held every 25 years, with extra rules. Two of the five books, Catching Fire and Sunrise on the Reaping, are built around a Quarter Quell.
• Mockingjays are birds that become a symbol of resistance, and give the third book its name.

How the prequels change the trilogy

One reason the series has lasted is that the prequels make the original books richer on a reread. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explains the roots of several traditions that Katniss takes for granted, from the role of mentors to the songs she sings. Sunrise on the Reaping shows why Haymitch is the bitter, guarded man Katniss first meets, and why he behaves as he does during her own Games. Neither prequel undoes the trilogy, but both add new layers to it, which is another reason to read them after Mockingjay rather than before.

The Hunger Games films in order

If you are watching alongside reading, here is how the books map to the films:

The BBFC has rated the Sunrise on the Reaping film 12A. If you want to read the book before you see the film, now is the moment.

What age are the Hunger Games books for?

The Hunger Games is published as young adult fiction and is generally best for readers of 12 or 13 and up. The writing itself is very readable, and some confident 11-year-olds pick it up, but the premise is children being made to kill each other, and the books do not look away from violence, grief and loss.

These are guidelines rather than rules. If you are unsure, reading the first book alongside your child, or reading it yourself first, is the best way to judge. The series is also excellent for discussion: about reality TV, inequality, propaganda and whether fighting a cruel system can ever be clean.

Where to start: which Hunger Games box set should you buy?

The right set depends on what you already own and how complete you want the collection to be.

For the complete series: all five books

If you want every book, including Sunrise on the Reaping, choose a five-book set. The Hunger Games 5-book hardcover collection box set brings together the trilogy and both prequels in hardback. For a matching paperback set with decorative edges that looks wonderful on a shelf, the Deluxe Hunger Games 5-book paperback collection with patterned edges is our favourite gift choice.

For the trilogy plus Ballad

Four-book sets contain The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The Hunger Games 4-book paperback box set is the best-value way to start, and there is also a Deluxe 4-book collection with patterned edges. Both stop before Sunrise on the Reaping.

If you already own the trilogy

Readers who have the original three books only need the prequels. The Hunger Games 2-book hardcover set contains The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping, so it completes your collection in one go. You can also buy The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in paperback on its own.

For collectors

The Hunger Games illustrated edition 2-book set has The Hunger Games and Catching Fire in hardback with illustrations by Nico Delort. It is a beautiful gift for a fan who already knows the story.

For dystopian binge-readers

If your teenager devours the whole series in a week, our Maze Runner, Hunger Games and Divergent 13-book collection combines three dystopian series in one bundle. Its Hunger Games books are the trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so add Sunrise on the Reaping separately if you want all five.

What to read after The Hunger Games

• Divergent by Veronica Roth is set in a future Chicago where society is divided into factions. The Divergent series box set contains Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant and Four.
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner begins with a boy waking up in a lift with no memory, inside a giant maze. Our Maze Runner 5-book collection includes the trilogy and the two prequels.
• Percy Jackson for younger siblings who want adventure without the darkness. See our Percy Jackson books in order guide.

You will find many more in our YA mystery and dystopian collection.

Frequently asked questions

How many Hunger Games books are there?

There are five: the original trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay) and two prequels (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping). All five are written by Suzanne Collins.

Should I read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes first?

It comes first in the timeline, but we recommend reading it after the trilogy. The book is about the young Coriolanus Snow, and it is far more powerful when you already know the man he becomes in The Hunger Games.

Where does Sunrise on the Reaping fit in the timeline?

It is set during the 50th Hunger Games, 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games. That puts it after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and before the original trilogy in chronological order.

What age is The Hunger Games suitable for?

We suggest 12 or 13 and up. The books are very readable but deal with violence, war and loss. The films of the original trilogy were rated 12A in the UK, which is a useful guide.

Do the Hunger Games box sets include Sunrise on the Reaping?

Only the five-book sets do. Four-book sets contain the trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so check the titles listed on each product page before you buy.

May the odds be ever in your favour

From the first reaping to the last, The Hunger Games is a series that stays with readers for years. Explore our young adult books for more gripping series, or pick up a complete set before the new film arrives.