Scholastic Press
While the original book celebrated its 15th anniversary earlier this year, the franchise has returned to its roots thanks to the release of a prequel film titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The film is based on Collins’ prequel novel of the same name, which hit shelves in May 2020. If you are less familiar with Songbirds and snakesthis could be because it was published in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Should you read it before or after the others? Hunger Games Books – and can it stand alone as its own story?
Read on to find out how to read The Hunger Games in order.
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How to read The Hunger Games in order of publication date
There are two ways to read the Hunger Games series. The first and probably most popular way is to read them in the order in which they were published:
1. The Hunger Games (2008)
2. catch fire (2009)
3. Mockingjay (2010)
4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)
While The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel that takes place 64 years before the events of The Hunger Gamesit goes much deeper into the history of Panem and the games themselves. Part of the pleasure of reading the original trilogy is discovering all the weird details of this universe as the books progress. For example, what are the districts and why is everyone going along with this Hunger Games situation? If you read Songbirds and snakes first, then you will lose some of this mystery, as many of these questions are already answered for you before you read The Hunger Games. (And while Songbirds and snakes technically stands as a story in its own right, but is certainly more fun in the context of the trilogy.)
The other reason to save Songbirds and snakes Finally, it is about a younger version of Coriolanus Snow, who is the extremely evil leader of Panem in the original trilogy. He is not a minor character in The Hunger Games and its sequels, but he is certainly not the hero. Read Songbirds and snakes gives Snow a certain nuance that makes him less of a one-note villain and therefore harder to hate – and he’s actually fun to hate.
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How to read The Hunger Games in chronological order
Some Hunger Games Purists prefer to read the books in the order of the events that occur in the books, which means The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes comes first. 64 years ago The Hunger Games, Songbirds and snakes follows young Coriolanus Snow as he mentors a young woman named Lucy Gray Baird for her appearance in the 10th Hunger Games. To read the books in chronological order, follow these steps:
1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)2. The Hunger Games (2008)3. catch fire (2009)4. Mockingjay (2010)
Starting with Songbirds and snakes gives you a completely different perspective on Panem and Snow as you head into The Hunger Games. The prequel explores in more detail what happened during the Dark Days, the war between the Capitol and the Districts. It also introduces Snow’s family and provides context for some of his actions in “modern-day” Panem. Perhaps most importantly, it humanizes him, proving that he was capable of love at some point. This additional backstory makes Snow much more interesting when you meet him in the trilogy, as he becomes less of a one-sided villain and more of a well-rounded human being. The only problem with this approach is that you run the risk of getting too distracted by him. to sympathetic to Snow, who is undoubtedly a bad person during the events of The Hunger Games and its sequels.
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