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How to Read the Hunger Games Books in Order

by Aria Mar 06,2025

This guide explores Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series, perfect for revisiting before the prequel's release or for newcomers. The books, while chronologically preceded by The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, offer crucial context for a richer understanding of the prequel.

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Reading Order:

While a chronological read starts with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, we recommend the original trilogy first for optimal context.

### Complete 4-Book Hunger Games Box Set

7See paperback and hardcover options.See it at Amazon

1. The Hunger Games

### The Hunger Games

0Survival or death. The Games begin...See it at Amazon

This debut novel introduces Katniss Everdeen, a resourceful young woman in impoverished District 12. When her sister is selected for the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers, embarking on a harrowing fight for survival against other children, while also battling the Capitol's manipulative regime.

2. Catching Fire

### Catching Fire

0The flames spread. The Capitol seeks revenge.See it at Amazon

Katniss and Peeta, despite their victory, face escalating danger. Their defiance has ignited rebellion, and President Snow threatens their loved ones, forcing them back into the arena's deadly games. This installment expands the world, introducing beloved characters like Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason.

3. Mockingjay

### Mockingjay

0Katniss Everdeen: Why am I alive?See it at Amazon

The final installment throws Katniss into a brutal war against the Capitol. As the face of the rebellion, she confronts treacherous battles and shocking truths, questioning the very nature of freedom and the cost of revolution. (Note: Adapted into two films.)

4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

### The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

0Ambition. Competition. The price of power.See it at Amazon

This prequel, set 64 years before the original trilogy, details the origins of the Hunger Games through the eyes of young Coriolanus Snow, who mentors a tribute from District 12. His relationship with Lucy Gray Baird profoundly shapes the Games' history.

Future Installments:

Sunrise on the Reaping, another prequel, is slated for release on March 18, 2025, and a film adaptation is planned for November 20, 2026.

Preorder Sunrise on the Reaping