The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
Young adult · ages 14–18 · grades 9–12 · 740L · 517 pages · 2021
Why we'd hand it over
A prequel that works as a standalone moral dark mirror: watching Snow's transformation from talented, sympathetic youth to tyrant is Collins at her most unflinching about how power corrupts, and it's far less forgiving than the original trilogy.