The New Hunger Games Book Follows A 17-Year-Old District 12 Trend With Haymitch's Tragic Reaping Twist

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.

Sunrise on the Reaping offers new insights into Haymitch Abernathy’s Hunger Games tournament, and the book’s big reaping twist follows a District 12 trend that gives him yet another thing in common with Katniss Everdeen. The Hunger Games books feature no shortage of parallels between Haymitch and Katniss, both of whom have the same difficult personalities, similar family tragedies, and even similar atтιтudes and reactions towards things. As Haymitch’s flint striker in the prequel suggests, he’s the spark, while Katniss is the actual fire of the rebellion.

And this isn’t something the original Hunger Games trilogy touches on, as the Capitol uses propaganda to cover up the reality of the second Quarter Quell. Much of Haymitch’s story isn’t widely known, especially 24 years later, when Katniss enters the arena. With readers receiving information about Haymitch through Katniss, we’re not even privy to all the details. This allows Sunrise on the Reaping to throw in some surprises, including the fact that Haymitch isn’t properly reaped for his Games.

Sunrise On The Reaping Reveals Haymitch Wasn’t Really Reaped For The 50th Hunger Games

He Was Illegally Chosen For The Second Quarter Quell After A Tribute Was Killed

It’s not discussed or widely known during The Hunger Games, but Haymitch isn’t actually called during the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games tournament. District 12’s escort at the time, Drusilla Sickle, pulls two other boys’ names: Woodbine Chance and Wyatt Callow. Haymitch almost avoids the arena for another year, but Woodbine Chance tries to run away and is killed for it. Lenore Dove steps in to help the boy’s mother, and Haymitch is then illegally reaped for attempting to protect her from the Peacekeepers

This revelation puts an unexpected twist on Haymitch’s story in Sunrise on the Reaping, and it adds another layer of tragedy to it. It’s bad enough that reaping day falls on Haymitch’s birthday and that winning the Games leads him to lose everyone he loves. The fact that it shouldn’t have happened at all makes Sunrise on the Reaping‘s ending even more devastating. And while Katniss doesn’t find herself in quite the same predicament, it’s interesting that neither of them is properly chosen for the Games.

The New Hunger Games Book Gives Haymitch & Katniss Another Similarity With This Detail

It’s Possible None Of District 12’s Tributes Were Reaped

Katniss at a Reaping in The Hunger Games.

While Haymitch is illegally reaped after avoiding being called for the Games, Katniss volunteers as tribute in 2008’s The Hunger Games. Like her mentor, she manages to avoid having her name called, but she’s still sentenced to the arena when Prim’s name is pulled instead. Katniss’ courageous act of sacrifice kicks off a trend for Suzanne Collins’ District 12 winners, too, as all three of her stories’ leads aren’t reaped fair and square. Peeta is the only District 12 winner who’s thrown into the arena out of sheer chance.

Given that District 12 tends to get the short end of the stick, perhaps it makes sense that they face such unfair treatment.

After all, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes heavily suggests that Lucy Gray’s reaping is rigged, with Mayor Lipp and his daughter plotting to send her to the 10th Hunger Games. This means Lucy, Katniss, and Haymitch all shouldn’t have been in the arena — and it raises questions about how many other reapings are handled properly. Given that District 12 tends to get the short end of the stick, perhaps it makes sense that they face such unfair treatment. But as Sunrise on the Reaping and the other books prove, this doesn’t always end in the Capitol’s favor.