Scholastic Launches The Hunger Games Prequel, The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, In India

Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, is proud to publish The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the new novel in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the first new Hunger Games book since Mockingjay, published in 2010. With a World English first printing of 2.5 million copies, The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is being released today, simultaneously in print, digital and audio formats by Scholastic in India.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will revisit the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games. The book will centre on the reconstruction of the period known as the Dark Days that took place following the First Rebellion, the civil war that was fought between the districts and the Capitol.

The author Suzanne Collins, in a statement from Scholastic, explained her overall motivation for the book this way: "I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival. The reconstruction period ten years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days — as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet — provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”

Commenting on the launch, Shantanu Duttagupta, Publisher, Scholastic India, said, “Returning to the world of Panem is an exciting proposition for readers of all ages. Ten years after the publication of Mockingjay, this new novel promises to answer, and raise more questions and debate for fans across the world. With the first run of 2.5 million copies of the English edition, we’re confident that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will create the whole new fan base and provide something for the die-hard Hunger Games fan as well.”

The book is available in India from 20th May 2020 on Amazon and Flipkart for Rs 899.

The book already has a film adaptation in the works, to be directed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 directors Francis Lawrence.