'Sunrise on the Reaping' is a cornucopia of iconic 'Hunger Games' characters: See who

Spoiler alert! We're discussing important characters in “Sunrise on the Reaping” (out now) with some light plot spoilers, so reader beware. Seriously, stop reading here if you don't want to know which characters appear in Book 5.

Yes, the new “Hunger Games” prequel is really that good. 

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is set 24 years before the events of the series’ first book, during the 50th Hunger Games – a special Quarter Quell that occurs every 25 years. Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss’ hardened but loveable mentor, is the victor of these games. Many readers have been hungry for well over a decade to hear Haymitch’s perspective, and their excitement only ratcheted up in the months since the announcement of Suzanne Collins’ fifth “Hunger Games” installment.

As Collins gives a wider view of Panem, readers get a surprising amount of cameos from beloved “Hunger Games” characters, including Plutarch Heavensbee and Effie Trinket. Here are all the characters that come back to the page for “Sunrise on the Reaping" and might make an appearance in the 2026 film adaptation.

Haymitch Abernathy

Haymitch’s story is particularly brutal in that we already know – even before page one – how it ends. In “Mockingjay,” we learn that Snow had Haymitch’s mother, little brother and girlfriend killed in retribution for the way he made the Gamemakers look foolish when he won the Games. We also know the way it propelled him into the jadedness and substance abuse we see in the original trilogy. 

When “Sunrise” opens, Haymitch is less concerned with the reaping itself than celebrating his 16th birthday by shirking off his chores and hanging out with his girlfriend, Lenore Dove. 

Haymitch is a particularly interesting character to explore the nature of authority – why we follow it and when we question it – says David Levithan, VP/publisher and editorial director at the series' publisher Scholastic.

“Katniss and, to a degree, with Snow, they start their stories with really nothing to lose. They are on the margins, they have no power and then over the course of their stories, they gain power,” Leviathan says. “Haymitch is different in that he’s having a really good life and he is not looking to be a part of any apparatus. And then suddenly, by being thrust into the Games, he is in this power structure.” 

Effie Trinket

As Haymitch and the other District 12 tributes arrive in the Capitol, they’re greeted by a ragtag duo of University students to style them, Proserpina and Vitus. When a fashion emergency arises, it’s none other than Effie Trinket, Proserpina’s older sister, who comes to save the day. Styling the District 12 tributes wins Effie a reputation in the Capitol.

Plutarch Heavensbee

He's not Head Gamemaker here, but it’s not too far off given Plutarch’s eventual role creating propaganda for the rebellion. Plutarch Heavensbee plays a major role in “Sunrise on the Reaping” as a young cameraman shooting heavily orchestrated video material for President Snow. Though we think he’s all-in for the Capitol, he later shares a cryptic plan with Haymitch to undermine the Games.

Wiress

The District 3 victor known in “Catching Fire” for figuring out the arena was a clock (“Tick, tock! Tick, tock!”) reappears in “Sunrise” as one of District 12’s mentors. We learn that she won last year’s Hunger Games by staying hidden and carefully maneuvering the arena filled with shiny surfaces as the other tributes went mad. 

Mags

You might remember Mags as the District 4 tribute in “Catching Fire” and Finnick Odair’s mentor. But in “Sunrise,” she joins Wiress to mentor the four District 12 tributes. Mags becomes a comfort to Haymitch and she and Wiress offer invaluable arena advice to the tributes.

Beetee

Intelligent and tech-savvy, Beetee was the brains behind the operation to blow up the Quarter Quell arena with Katniss and the others in “Catching Fire.” But 25 years earlier, he's tasked to mentor and train tributes. We find out that Beetee's son, Ampert, is a District 3 tribute. Beetee and Haymitch develop a close relationship to try and stop the Games once and for all. 

Caesar Flickerman

The smooth-talking Hunger Games host returns briefly to interview the tributes ahead of the Games and later to interview Haymitch after he wins. After getting an abysmally low score in his training demonstration, Haymitch decides his strategy is to play up his bad boy, “rascal” charm. Caesar and the Capitol audience eat it up, of course.

Lucy Gray Baird

After he wins the Games, Haymitch watches an old clip on Capitol TV of a Covey girl singing what we “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” fans know as “The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird.” He also notices the silhouette of a young President Snow reaching his hand out to Lucy.

Because Lenore Dove is a Covey, many of the ballads and songs of the Covey people return in “Sunrise on the Reaping.” 

Coriolanus Snow

President Snow appears in his usual threatening and eerie manner, eager to control the narrative and intimate Haymitch as he did Katniss. He’s depicted as being frail in health as he is in “The Hunger Games” trilogy. 

Mrs. Undersee

Merrilee Donner is the identical twin sister of Quarter Quell tribute Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s eventual ally. You might remember her from “The Hunger Games” as Mrs. Undersee, the mayor’s wife. She’s also the mother of Madge Undersee, who gives Katniss the mockingjay pin. 

Katniss Everdeen and her parents

Katniss makes a brief appearance in the epilogue when the story flashes forward to post-rebellion society, where survivors of the war are collecting stories for a memorial book. 

But far earlier in the book, we meet Katniss’ dad – Burdock Everdeen – a good friend of Haymitch’s. Burdock owns a trusty bow and is a strong hunter with knowledge of plants. Lenore Dove is Burdock’s cousin on his mom’s side. 

And then there’s Asterid March, who Burdock is “nuts about,” leading readers to believe the town beauty is Katniss’ mother. She’s described as too rich and pretty for a Seam boy like Burdock, but we know from “The Hunger Games” that Mrs. Everdeen grew up in the merchant sector of District 12 and moved to the much poorer neighborhood for her husband. In “Sunrise,” we see her concocting healing ointments at her father's apothecary shop, consistent with her skills in the original trilogy. She also stands with Merrilee and Maysilee Donner during the reaping, which Katniss notices in old videos in “Catching Fire.”

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weeklyBooks newsletter or tell her what you’re reading atcmulroy@usatoday.com.