This post may contain affiliate links. Read more here.
Book club questions for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins explore the themes of power, morality, and survival, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the complex characters and their choices in the gripping Hunger Games universe.
Wow. I adored the Hunger Games series. Dystopian YA is not a normal genre for me, but this series is awesome and this prequel? A fantastic villain origin story.
I honestly can’t wait for the screen adaption to come out. I’m so excited!
The amount of context this book adds to the original story told in the trilogy is unbelievable. And it must be said that Coriolanus Snow is one of the most well-written characters in fiction. We know his story. The villain he will become.
What were your impressions of this novel? ✨
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I hope you will enjoy the thoughtfully crafted discussion questions for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in this blog post.
At the bottom of this post you will find a free downloadable PDF version for your personal use with your book clubs, along with some additional suggestions for novels that share similar themes and narratives.
I have also covered a complete reading guide for this novel in a separate blog post. For a complete reading guide of this novel, including full summary, character list and analysis, themes and symbols, click here!
Let me know if you find these book club questions useful. I’m excited to hear your unique perspectives during your book club discussions!
Book Club Questions | Reading Guide | Additional Recommendations | Printable List
About the Story
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes starts on the morning of the tenth annual Hunger Games reaping, where eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow, from the ailing Snow family, prepares to take on the role of mentor.
His task is to guide and shape the winning tribute, and his fate hinges on his ability to outshine his fellow mentors. However, he’s assigned the challenging role of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest-ranked district.
As their destinies become intertwined, every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to either success or disaster. Inside the brutal arena, a fight to the death looms, while outside, Coriolanus grapples with conflicting emotions as he navigates the thin line between following the rules and doing whatever it takes to survive.
About the Author
Suzanne Collins began her career in 1991, working in children’s television, contributing to shows like Clarissa Explains it All and Little Bear.
Eventually, she delved into children’s books with Gregor the Overlander, a fantasy series known as The Underland Chronicles, which became a New York Times bestseller and sold in 21 countries.
Her most renowned work, The Hunger Games Trilogy, has achieved international success, with the first book spending over six years on The New York Times bestseller list.
In 2016, Suzanne received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community, becoming the first YA author to receive this honor.
Her books have collectively sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and they have been adapted into a highly successful film franchise, with the box office for the entire series nearing $3 billion.
Book Club Questions for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Disclaimer: the following discussion questions contain spoilers, so proceed with caution if you haven’t finished the book yet.
- Throughout the novel, we see Coriolanus Snow’s character evolve from a young and ambitious student to a complex and morally ambiguous figure. How did your perception of Coriolanus change as you read the book? Did you sympathize with him at any point?
- Coriolanus faces several moral dilemmas throughout the story. What were some of the key decisions he had to make? How do you think those choices reflect the moral landscape of the Capitol and the districts?
- Compare and contrast Coriolanus and Sejanus, focusing on their views of friendship, the Capitol, the districts, and their roles as Peacekeepers. How do their differing perspectives shape their choices throughout the story?
- Reflect on the unresolved mystery of Lucy Gray’s fate. Share your personal theories about what might have happened to her and why you think the author chose to leave her fate uncertain.
- Discuss the themes of power and control in the novel. How is power wielded by different characters and institutions, such as Dr. Gaul, Coriolanus, and the Capitol itself? What do you think the author is trying to convey about the corrupting influence of power?
- Discuss Coriolanus’s intense aversion to jabberjays and mockingjays. What do you think drives his strong desire to eliminate these creatures, and how does it reflect on his character?
- Explore Lucy Gray’s connection to snakes throughout the story. What symbolism do you associate with her interactions with snakes, from her reaping day to her encounters in the arena and her final moments with Coriolanus?
- Compare and contrast life in the Capitol with life in the districts. How does the stark contrast between these two settings contribute to the overall themes of the story? In what ways does the Capitol maintain its control over the districts?
- Lucy Gray is a complex character who defies easy categorization. How would you describe her personality and motivations? What role does she play in Coriolanus’s transformation, and how does she challenge his worldview?
- The novel is rich in symbolism, from the mockingjays to the roses. What do these symbols represent, and how do they contribute to the overall narrative? Are there any other symbols you noticed that held significance?
- Lucy Gray’s and Coriolanus’s different backgrounds and the challenges they face, do you believe their love for each other is mutual and genuine? Why or why not?
- Consider the moral dilemmas presented by Coriolanus’s actions, such as providing Lucy Gray with the compact and placing her scent-soaked handkerchief in the snake tank. In an arena with blurred ethical lines, what standards, if any, should apply? What do you think is at stake in these situations?
- Coriolanus’s desire for success and recognition drives much of his actions. Do you think his ambition is justified given his circumstances, or does it lead him down a dark path? How does his ambition compare to the ambitions of other characters, such as Sejanus or Lucy Gray?
- Entertainment, including the Hunger Games themselves, plays a crucial role in the Capitol’s control over the districts. How does the novel explore the idea of using entertainment as a tool of manipulation and distraction? Are there parallels to our own world?
- How did one of the epigraphs at the start of the novel resonate with you, and how do you think it influenced your perception of a character or event in the story?
- How do you feel about the way Capitol’s actions in the book disregard the social contract and the common good? Are there any real-world parallels that come to mind?
- Dr. Gaul encourages Coriolanus to contemplate the true purpose of the Hunger Games. What are your thoughts on the multifaceted roles these Games serve in the story, and how do they relate to societal values and norms in our own world?
- Analyze Coriolanus’s decision to poison Dean Highbottom’s morphling bottle in the conclusion of the novel. How do you personally interpret his motivations and the consequences of this act?
- In “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” we witness the early stages of what will become the Hunger Games as we know them. How did the evolution of the Hunger Games in this prequel affect your understanding of the Games as portrayed in the original trilogy? Were there any surprising revelations about their origins?
- What ethical questions or dilemmas did the story raise for you as a reader? Were there moments where you found yourself questioning the characters’ actions or the morality of the Capitol’s society?
- Without giving away any spoilers, what are your thoughts on the ending of the novel? Were you satisfied with how the story concluded? Did it leave you with lingering questions or reflections?
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed the book club discussion questions and reading guide for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins!
Here are some more of my book club recommendations related to this book:
Replacement by Jordan Rivet
Jane is a leftover clone. Created for an unknown purpose, then abandoned at a rundown facility outside Grid City, she has a knack for trouble and a burning desire to find out why she was made.
When a powerful tycoon hires her to replace his son Isaac’s best friend, a girl from the same clone batch as her, Jane jumps at the chance to finally get some answers. All she has to do is convince the charming Isaac that his friend is still alive, without getting too close to him. Stepping into someone else’s life isn’t easy, though, even when you have the same genes.
As Jane struggles to survive at Isaac’s elite private school, she discovers the other clone’s death was no accident—and she might be next. She must solve her batchmate’s murder and unravel the mystery of their origins before the killer comes for her too.
The Cure by K. A. Riley
Before the Blight, becoming an adult was something teenagers looked forward to. But now, turning eighteen means certain death.
Unless you prove yourself worthy of the Cure.
On her seventeenth birthday, Ashen Spencer is blindfolded and escorted to the massive, mysterious building known as the Arc to begin her year of training and testing in hopes that she can earn the Cure—a powerful drug given only to those deemed worthy to survive beyond their eighteenth birthday.
Ashen has a chance to rise up from her former life of squalor and be granted a place in society, if the Panel—the mysterious group of powerful men and women in charge of the Arc—deems her year a success. She’s assigned to work for twelve months as a servant for a wealthy family whose son is the most alluring young man she’s ever met. At first, Ashen is grateful for the opportunity to earn her place in a society she’s always dreamed of inhabiting.
But as time passes and she begins to learn the truth about the people she admires so much and the home she left behind, she realizes she has a choice: Be part of the disease…Or be part of the Cure.
Recruitment by K. A. Riley
In the Valta, no matter what month you were born, everyone is assigned the same birthday. November 1st. It’s the anniversary of the day when the government declared war on the Eastern Order.
The day you turn seventeen, the Recruiters come to take you away. And no one ever hears from you again.
It’s October 31st. Today, Kress is sixteen years old.
Tomorrow, she’ll be taken.
The good news? So will her best friend Cardyn, and Brohn, the handsome, enigmatic boy she’s avoided all her life.
The bad news?
Recruitment isn’t what any of them expected.
Weeks of training await. Military and psychological tests, escape rooms, hand-to-hand combat. The Recruits are told they’re the key to winning the war. But with each day that passes, things begin to make less sense.
If only Kress had been able to bring her trained raven, Render, with her.
If only none of them had ever had to come to this place.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
This first book in Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent series of books is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. This dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.
Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.
One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior’s society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions.
Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she’s determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.
Printable PDF
Feel free to distribute these discussion questions to your book club members before your meeting. Simply click the link below to download and print the PDF file.
Happy reading! ❤️