I am re-reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tonight after thinking more about David Levithan’s praise for the Sunrise cover. I reviewed Catching Fire yesterday because its Chapter 14 has the thumbnail sketch of Haymitch’s victory in the Quarter Quell that will be the subject of Sunrise. Levithan’s comments, though, I think reflect continuity between Ballad and Sunrise that is as great or greater than that between the second books of each three novel series, a continuity reflected in the Ballad and Sunrise covers.

While I do that reading, though, I want to share links to three Hogwarts Professor posts about The Hunger Games, two that I wrote fifteen years ago in the exciting months before the publication of Mockingjay and one conversation with fans immediately afterward:

• Who is the Mockingjay? The Hidden Key to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy
• The Hunger Games ‘Pearl Plot,’ version 2.0
• Mockingjay Discussion Point 4: The Pearl Plot?

(If you only have time for one, make it The Hunger Games ‘Pearl Plot,’ version 2.0.)

The ‘Pearl Plot’ was my guess that, consequent to the Quarter Quell that Haymitch wins, the surviving Donner sister (whom I designate as ‘Pearl’ because she is not given a first name but ‘Madge’ her daughter has a name via ‘Margaret’ that means ‘pearl’) recruits the conspirators and writes the Mockingjay rebellion counter-narrative that leads to the Reaping Day selection of Katniss (via Prim) and Peeta — and almost all the events of the 74th Hunger Games.

Needless to say, I hope, Mockingjay did not deliver on any of the Pearl Plot’s premises being revealed, which should have been no surprise given that District 12 is destroyed by the Capitol at the end of Catching Fire (Goodbye, Undersees!) and the third novel is crowded with Katniss’ victory over the Capitol and District 13 and her eventual apotheosis.

As more than one reader pointed out, though, in the discussion thread dedicated to the Pearl Plot after Mockingjay was published that Collins might be saving all that revelation for a Hunger Games Prequel novel. I hope you’ll read the ‘Pearl Plot’ posts and let me know if you think Sunrise on the Reaping (or the prequel series finale?) will include revelations of what really happened in Katniss’ Hunger Games before the pyrotechnics of Mockingjay!

Post (squared):

If you want to read my book-length discussion of the meaning of The Hunger Games series, it’s available in these three Hogwarts Professor posts:

Unlocking Mockingjay: The Spiritual Allegory’ On Katniss as a Soul Seeking Perfection and Iconological Reading

‘Unlocking Mockingjay: ‘The Literary Alchemy’ On Literary Alchemy and Peeta as Postmodern Christ

‘Unlocking Mockingjay: Katniss’ Apotheosis’ On the Alchemical Arena and Katniss’ Perfection in the Inner Sanctuary

All the Hogwarts Professor Hunger Games  commentary is available at ‘Unlocking Mockingjay: The Complete Set of Posts And a Round-up of the First 30 Discussion Points.‘ Enjoy!