Over a decade and a half ago, Suzanne Collins' breathtaking, dystopian novel, The Hunger Games, was published, sparking worldwide readership and a fan base that endures to this day. As a tribute (no pun intended) to this groundbreaking series, Juniper Books has designed new book jackets for our Hunger Games Arena Book Set that capture one of the most pivotal moments from the novels - Katniss Everdeen’s arrow as it shoots toward the arena’s dome - setting a revolution in motion. 

With the launch of our Hunger Games Arena Book Set, we’ve been thinking a lot about Katniss and her hero’s journey. She’s the type of protagonist who is good down to her core. Her actions and decisions are always noble and just guided by a strong sense of right and wrong.  Her mission is clear: to lead a revolution and create a better world for the people that she loves, which sometimes causes her to make questionable decisions. Katniss might be the type of person we all strive to be, while also being morally grey.

With our Hunger Games Arena Book Set launching just in time for the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie release, we chose to add the prequel book to this set! And wow, does The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes feature a morally grey protagonist. It centers around Coriolanus Snow, who we (unfortunately) know from the original Hunger Games Trilogy. In this prequel novel, the tenth annual Hunger Games is about to begin, and young Snow has been chosen as a mentor in the upcoming Hunger Games. He is assigned to none other than District Twelve’s tribute Lucy Gray Baird. With stunning parallels to the original trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a must read for any fan of the series. 

It’s amazing to see the success and praise Suzanne Collins had received over the years for her literature. Not only did she write a widely acclaimed book series, but now every novel in the series has had its own movie adaptation! With all this success, it’s hard to believe that Suzanne Collins never intended The Hunger Games to become a series. She planned for it to be a standalone novel! By including The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in our set, we’re hoping to highlight the true enormity of Collins’ talent. 

We hope the Juniper Books Hunger Games Arena Book set finds a treasured place on your bookshelves and that you can display it just as proudly as Katniss wore her mockingjay pin. If you’re like us and plan to cozy up this winter and re-read the entire series, the odds will be in your favor!