"Sunrise on the Reaping" by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping (Mar. 18, 2025) by Suzanne Collins.

<This is the fifth Hunger Games novel.>

<Chronologically, it occurs 40 years after TBoSaS and 24 years before the THG trilogy.>

The odds will be ever in someone’s favor. But whose? Panem is readying for the Fiftieth Annual Hunger Games. In honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Two girls and two boys. In District 12, Haymitch Abernathy tries not to think too hard about his odds, especially since he has extra tesserae in order to receive extra food rations for his family (mom: Willamae; 10-year-old brother: Sid). His birthday is never one to truly celebrate, landing on reaping day as it does, but he does want to be with Lenore Dove Baird, the girl he loves. Unfortunately, Haymitch’s name is called without being drawn. He’s torn from his family, Lenore, everyone he knows in District 12, and as the Games begin, he knows he’s been set up to fail. His fellow tributes are Louella McCoy (a 12-year-old who’s like a younger sister to him), Maysilee Donner (the snobbiest girl in town) and Wyatt Callow (an oddsmaker and the son of a Booker Boy). Does he want to die? No. Does he expect to die a painful, gruesome death? Yes. So, if he’s going to die no matter what, he wants to die fighting a fight that will reverberate beyond the arena all the way to District 12. If he can, he will drown the arena if the arena and the Career tributes don’t end him first.

            It took me almost a year since its publication to read, but once I dove in, the propulsive storyline propelled me quickly through this YA science fiction dystopia. Because I already “knew” Haymitch from The Hunger Games trilogy, I rooted for his character and so was easily swept up in his story, brutal and broken and gut-wrenching as it is. It’s a formidable edition to the canon, and it’s explosive in its portrayal of an authoritarian government with totalitarian control. There is jet propulsion to this book that is upsetting, agonizing, raw and candid, but it makes it all the more provoking, emotional and exceptional. There is rage. There is compassion. And there is inspiration. Perhaps one day, there will be hope and no sunrise on the reaping.

            Also reviewed by me: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

"Arsenic and Adobo" by Mia P. Manansala

Arsenic and Adobo (May 4, 2021) by Mia P. Manansala.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Big city life in Chicago was the dream and still is, but Lila Macapagal is back home with Tita (Aunt) Rosie and Lola (Grandmother) Flor. The Calendar Crew of aunties not by blood (Mga Ninang April, Mae and June) give her a hard time for leaving for three years, showering her with love and judgment, as Lila is back working at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. When the particularly unpleasant, self-proclaimed food critic in Shady Palms, Illinois (population around 20,000), drops dead soon after a wisecrack from Lila about, “Would it kill you ...,” her life tilts. Not only is the deceased her ex-boyfriend, but Detective Jonathan Park treats her like the only suspect and is convinced of her guilt based on evidence [definitely] planted in her work locker. Lila has no choice but to conduct her own investigation. She’s got a list of restaurants who’ve been targeted by Derek Winter (the dead guy), the nosy auntie network, her barista bestie Adeena Awan and her trusty, overweight Dachshund Longganisa. There’s also the family lawyer, Amir Awan, Adeena’s golden-child big brother and the guy Lila’s had a crush on for forever. And Dr. Jae Park, town dentist, has entered the picture. Both are attractive. Both are successful. Both are single. But first, Lila must figure out who killed Derek, framed her and brought further distress upon her family’s already struggling restaurant.

            The debut adult fiction novel in Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries series brings Filipino American food culture to the forefront of a cozy, culinary mystery series with a sizzling plot and mouthwatering dishes. It is ripe with sticky situations and satisfying snark, humor, hard work and heart. Lila is plucky and sarcastic and is definitely new to amateur sleuthing, flawed bits and all, but I rooted for this tight-knit (if sometimes overbearing) family and community of color. There is one moment where I really struggled with Lila, as she’s the one who’s bringing the “high school drama.” Not Adeena. Yeah, I realize she’s going through a lot, and while I have compassion for her, I have zero patience for bratty behavior. There is emphasis on culture and language (Tagalog) with the story tackling heavier matters like drug-dealing, racial discrimination and fatphobia. (There is a trigger warning.) I flew through this story like a contestant in a timed showdown (minus all the stress and the actual cooking or baking). There is food. There is murder. It is cozy and culinary with the right amount of drama. It’s a little sweet, a lot salty, but all the mentions of food balance it out and keep me hungry. Now, how about a plate of ube crinkles?

            P.S. This library checkout was my Blind Date with a Book this month.

            P.P.S. There are recipes at the back of the book, including a recipe for those ube crinkle cookies!

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 2

I have the library to thank for the books rounding out this chapter book compilation. We’ve got an axolotl, fashionable young friends and a fractured fairy tale, all for the 6-9 age range. If you have children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews in this age group, what do they like to read? What are you reading together?

The Great Axolotl Escape (Aug. 1, 2025) by John Sazaklis.

   Letizia Rizzo, illustrator.

<This book is part of an unnumbered series.>

In Ms. Garcia’s sixth grade class in Brownsville, Texas, there is Amigo the Axolotl. He is from Mexico, and when he hears Alejandro telling Ms. Garcia that he’s going to the Charro Days Fiesta, he plots quickly to tag along with the Student Helper. The festival should be great. Maybe Amigo will meet a lady lizard! Or he’ll get to eat shrimp burritos! Instead, things don’t go as planned, and he ends up separated from Alejandro and in the sights of a dog. What’s an axolotl to do?

            This book geared for ages 7-8 is part of the Homeroom is a Zoo series. It is constantly-moving and fun to read the axolotl’s chaotic misadventure. It is a story for emergent readers ready for chapter books who may still need help with some of the vocabulary. I would read more of these.

JoJo and the Fashion Show (Aug. 1, 2025) by Annette M. Clayton.

   Carolina Vázquez, illustrator.

<This is part of an unnumbered series.>

JoJo Jupiter has a new hearing aid. At first worried about the bold purple color standing out, she chooses to own it and blings it up with a Dazzle Kit, also making herself other accessories to complement her ear-ware. JoJo sets a classroom trend and soon her best friends Rae and Mia are sporting Dazzle Kit jewelry along with many of their other classmates. Her third best friend, Cassie, is not sporting Dazzle Kit accessories. With a recess fashion show coming up, JoJo isn’t seeing that Cassie’s having a hard time. How can JoJo make sure the fashion show goes on while being the friend Cassie needs her to be?

            An unnumbered book in the JoJo series that is youthfully stylish gets readers thinking about what they might do if one of their friends was struggling. It is a thoughtful story that involves teamwork and troubleshooting in order to help a best friend feel included and seen. Advanced readers will fly through this book in no time, making it a good one for those budding readers ready for more challenging chapter books.

This Journal Belongs to Rapunzel: A Rapunzel Fractured Fairy Tale (Aug. 1, 2025) by Stephanie True Peters.

   Danesh Mohiuddin, illustrator.

<This is part of an unnumbered series.>

There is a girl who lives in a lighthouse in the middle of an island teeming with the most delicious clams. The girl’s name is Rapunzel. She’s never been allowed to eat a clam. She only ever remembers living in the lighthouse and being its keeper, tasked even with switching out a broken lightbulb in a massive storm. The only one who ever comes to visit her is a large talking crab called Gurgle. She is unpleasant, Rapunzel has to regularly remove barnacles from her when she visits, and she’s, well, crabby, but Gurgle is also the only way Rapunzel gets any food. Her favorite treats are marshmallows. When she hears, “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!” and up climbs a boy named Henry, she is in shock. Henry may be her ticket off the little island, but first she’ll have to face off with Gurgle and her super sharp claws.

            Geared for youth ages 6-8, this chapter book written in journal form is a fractured fairy tale just right for this age group. It’s fast-paced and attention-keeping. There are harrowing moments that aren’t scary and a revelation expected to anyone familiar with the story of Rapunzel that is a good moment to read all the same. It’s a worthy tale for confident chapter book readers.