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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel)

Suzanne Collins

Ages 14–18

Readers rate it 3.8 (1.8K on Hardcover)

743 pages · Released May 19, 2020

Content report card

What's inside

High confidence

LGBTQ+ themes

What it offers

Educational value

A note for parents

This prequel to The Hunger Games follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow as he mentors a tribute in a televised death match. The book contains significant violence (the Games themselves involve combat deaths), psychological darkness as Snow's moral compass deteriorates, and exploration of how good intentions can lead to tyranny. It's darker and more morally complex than the original trilogy, making it most suitable for mature teens who have read those books first.

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From the publisher

Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on h... Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Shelved under

  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Unloveable Characters
  • A mix driven
  • Weak Character Development
  • Diverse Characters
  • Strong Character Development
  • Not Diverse Characters
  • Character driven
  • Loveable Characters
  • Plot driven
  • adventurous
  • dark

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ISBN 9781338635188 · Scholastic Inc.