On Thursday, June 6th, the news broke that Suzanne Collins, author of the iconic Hunger Games series, will be releasing a new book called Sunrise on the Reaping with her publisher, Scholastic.
Here's everything we know about the book so far.
When will it be released?
The book is currently scheduled to be released on March 18th, 2025. This means fans must wait over ten months for the book to be in their hands.
While some fans may find the long months of waiting disheartening, they should take comfort in knowing that the book can be pre-ordered as soon as today. Doing so will ensure you receive a book, typically on the day of its release.
Given how popular the Hunger Games series is, pre-ordering Sunrise on the Reaping may be a smart move—there's nothing worse than waiting months for a book to be released only to find that bookstores already have it out of stock.
What is the book about?
Sunrise on the Reaping is set twenty-four years before “The Hunger Games.” It is the fiftieth Hunger Games, making it the second Quarter Quell. The book will be set during the games of Katniss Everdeen's mentor, Haymitch Abernathy.
Here's all we know about Haymitch's games so far:
- As it falls on the second Quarter Quell, it will consist of 48 tributes, double the ordinary number.
- Haymitch is a lone wolf for most of the game until he allies with Maysilee Donner, a friend of Katniss' mother. Haymitch is by her side as she dies.
- Like Katniss, Haymitch acts in ways Snow considers rebellious. In his case, he takes advantage of a force field around the arena and uses it as a weapon to win. This results in punishment by Snow.
- At the time of the Hunger Games trilogy, he is the only surviving District 12 winner other than Katniss and Peeta and is severely dependent on alcohol.
The newest clue as to the book's contents comes in a statement from Suzanne Collins:
With 'Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume's idea of implicit submission and, in his words, “the easiness with which the many are governed by the few. The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question' real or not real'?' seems more pressing to me every day.”
For those who don't know, David Hume is an eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher. Hume favored skepticism (where individuals question supposed knowledge) and empiricism (knowledge gained from observation). Famously, he also believed human behavior was motivated by passions (emotions) over reason.
Will we be getting another Hunger Games film?
All four of the previous Hunger Games books (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1 and Two, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) have been turned into films by Lionsgate. As a result, it's no surprise that fans are eager to know whether this newest book will be joining the ranks of blockbuster Hunger Games films.
In September of 2023, Francis Lawrence, director of all the Hunger Games films barring the first one, told Entertainment Weekly:
If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem—whether that's with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever—I'd be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it.
So maybe it's not too much of a surprise that the new book and film were announced on the same day. An adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping is already in the works and will be in theatres on November 20th, 2026.
Image Credit: Mark Turnaukas from Wikimedia
Fan Reactions
The original Hunger Games trilogy was released in rapid succession in 2008, 2009, and 2010. However, fans had to wait another ten years for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Hence, the news that a new Hunger Games book is to be published so soon after the last one, has social media imploding.
Already, the FilmsUpdate tweet announcing the book has over fifty thousand likes. X is spewing with opinions. One user writes “did we already see a lot of haymitch's games? Yes. do i need more the way i need water, sunlight, sustenance and laughter? Like you would not believe”. Another user simply declared, “Suzanne Collins, the woman you are.”
People are buzzing with ideas of who should play Haymitch. Popular suggestions include Drew Starkey (Outer Banks), Kit Conner (Heartstopper), and Louis Hoffmann (All the Light We Cannot See).
Image Credit: The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Wikimedia
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While we may not know much about the precise contents of the book, there's one thing we can be certain of: Sunrise on the Reaping is sure to be just as heartbreaking as the rest of the books in the Panem universe.
Happy Hunger Games!