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Everything We Know About The New ‘Hunger Games’ Book ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’

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Tributes, it’s official! A new Hunger Games book is coming. Following the release of the movie adaptation of the Hunger Games’ prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Hunger Games fans have been left wanting more, and author Suzanne Collins has finally delivered.

On June 6, it was announced that Collins had written her fifth Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping, which will soon take its place on fans’ bookshelves alongside the other books in the popular series.

Collins shared her inspiration for the book in a press release, sharing that it came from “David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.'” Collins elaborated on the novel further, sharing, “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative.”

When will Sunrise on the Reaping be released?

Save the date – Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in print, digital, and audio formats on March 18, 2025. I would suggest not waiting to get your hands on a copy because it’s likely going to fly off the shelves.

In the meantime, readers can pre-order the book at major bookstores.

What’s Sunrise on the Reaping about?

A synopsis of the book reads, “‘Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of ‘The Hunger Games,’ starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.” 

Fans of the series know that the winner of the Second Quarter Quell (AKA the 50th Hunger Games) was won by Haymitch Abernathy, District 12’s victor. Haymitch is best known for being Katniss Everdeen’s mentor, and it can be assumed that this upcoming novel will be very Haymitch-centric.

Rachel Zegler, who portrayed Lucy Gray Baird in the movie adaptation of Collins’ novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reply to her own tweet where she manifested this release. I think we all owe Zegler a “thank you.”

Will Sunrise on the Reaping have its own film?

Shortly after the novel was announced, the official Hunger Games Instagram page confirmed that a Sunrise on the Reaping will be hitting theaters on Nov. 20, 2026. I’m screaming!

Now, how do you best prepare for this upcoming release? Re-read all of the books and rewatch all of the movies, obviously. When you go to a bookstore to pick up your own copy of Sunrise on the Reaping on March 18, may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Amanda Brown is a current national writer for Her Campus, focusing largely on the Entertainment & Culture vertical. She was formerly the Summer 2024 Entertainment & Culture intern, writing about all things pop culture! Beyond Her Campus, Amanda is a sophomore Writing and Rhetoric major with an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor at James Madison University. Amanda is the Founder/President/Editorial Director of JMU's Spoon University chapter and the Junior Social Media Manager of JMU's Her Campus chapter. She is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta. In her free time, Amanda loves binge-watching reality TV (especially while drinking iced lattes) and going on long walks (ideally using it as a yap session or listening to music). Amanda loves reading romance novels while listening to Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams.