Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins and The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

 

At the beginning of spring break, I finished reading Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, the fifth book taking place in the world of The Hunger Games. Featuring Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's mentor for the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, this dystopian novel is about how he won the 50th Hunger Games. In honor of the second Quarter Quell, forty-eight tributes, four from each district, are taken from their homes to participate, instead of the usual twenty-four. When he tries to protect his love, Lenore Dove Baird, as the fourth tribute, Woodbine Chance, decides to run and is shot, Haymitch is chosen to replace him during District 12's reaping. Although he knows that it's unlikely that he will win and return home to his mom, his brother Sid, and Lenore Dove, he begins to come up with a plan with the three other District 12 tributes, Louella McCoy, Maysilee Donner, and Wyatt Callow, to create an alliance with tributes from the other districts during training. He also meets Beetee, a District 3 mentor whose son Ampert was reaped, and they discuss a secret plan to sabotage the arena involving both Haymitch and Ampert. Having caught the attention of President Snow, Haymitch realizes that he has been set up to fail, but despite the odds, he still wants to fight, not only for survival in the arena but to inspire rebellion.

I had been excited to read this book ever since it was announced last year, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. I loved getting to know more about Haymitch and why he became the way he was when Katniss and Peeta met him in The Hunger Games. I thought the concept of the arena was fantastic and it definitely reminded me how beauty can hide deadly things. President Snow was so sinister and I knew that he would punish Haymitch severely, having read the original trilogy. On the other hand, I really liked Louella, Maysilee, Wyatt, and Ampert and how Haymitch connected with the four of them. I was also so excited that Beetee, Wiress, and Mags made appearances in this story as mentors because I knew them from the rest of the series. As expected, the violence in the arena was horrifying and I was devastated by the deaths of almost all the characters I had come to care about. The end of the story was particularly heartbreaking. It's not a spoiler that Haymitch was the victor of the second Quarter Quell, but I sobbed while learning how exactly Haymitch lost everything. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. The other things I found interesting about this book is the theme of implicit submission (being resigned to the rule of a few without giving it a second thought) and the references to "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. Additionally, in the Barnes & Noble version of the book, there is an interview with the author, Suzanne Collins, at the end. Overall, Sunrise on the Reaping is an excellent addition to the series and I recommend it to anyone who has read The Hunger Games trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Last week, I read The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly. This science fiction novel is about Michael Rosario, a twelve-year-old boy who has a crush on his sixteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby, and is stockpiling supplies to prepare himself and his mom for Y2K in August 1999. When Michael and Gibby meet Ridge Sabio, a teenage time traveler from 2199 who's been hanging around their apartment complex, they decide to befriend him and help him return to his time. After Ridge mentions he has a book outlining the events of the next twenty years, Michael is determined to do whatever it takes to get the sumbook so that he can prepare for the future. Meanwhile, over the next week, Ridge immerses himself in 1999, including a trip to the mall with Michael and Gibby, but when he begins to feel sick, it becomes critical that his time traveling device is fixed so that he can go home to 2199 before it's too late.

This novel was positively lovely. From the very beginning, I could empathize with Michael's worry that he and his mother wouldn't be ready for Y2K because I remember living through that time myself and being uncertain that things would be okay when the clocks switched from 1999 to 2000. Of course, nothing bad ended up happening, but it was something that a lot of people were talking about at the time. I also thought that Michael's crush on Gibby was endearing because I know what it's like to have a crush on someone older than you. It was cool how Gibby was willing to help Michael out with Ridge and the friendship between the three of them really became something special. It was really interesting to learn about the technology that Ridge used to time travel and I loved how bold he was, even if it was borderline recklessness. I felt bad that he couldn't get home when he needed to and it was awful as he got sicker and sicker because I didn't know what would happen if they had to take him to a hospital. I hoped that somehow his time traveling device would be repaired in time. I can't forget about Mr. Mosley, the maintenance man who was a like a father figure to Michael, either. Without saying too much, I think the development of their relationship was the most heartbreaking part of the story. Another thing I really liked was the excerpts of informational texts from the future and audio transcripts of conversations that Ridge's family was having in 2199 to show what was happening there. Ultimately, the best part of The First State of Being is its message to live in the present moment because it's something anyone can take to heart. Anyone who enjoys stories of time travel, friendship, and/or found family should read The First State of Being.