The newest prequel in The Hunger Games series, called Sunrise on the Reaping, releases March 18. As a self-proclaimed Hunger Games superfan, I’ve been waiting for this day since the first announcement was made.
The initial three books were published from 2008 to 2010 and became a worldwide success. In 2020, Suzanne Collins published the first prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the start of the original trilogy and tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy’s experience in the 50th Hunger Games.
This is a book the internet has been asking for since the trilogy concluded. It’s no secret that people, me included, have been yearning for a book on Haymitch’s games.
In light of this, I’ve decided to make the lead-up to the book’s release as fun as possible. This is my ultimate guidebook on preparing for the book’s release. If you want to prepare as well, feel free to take inspiration from any of these steps, if not the whole guide!
- Re-read the Books
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I’m starting strong with a full series re-read of all four books. I’d personally read them in release order, though you could theoretically read them in the order they occur. This would mean starting with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes before continuing with the rest of the trilogy.
Though this seems like a lot, the first three books are all less than 400 pages, making them a pretty quick read if you have the time to sit down and do it. As someone who frequently doesn’t have the time, I will make it happen to the best of my ability.
- Re-watch the Movies
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You might’ve seen this one coming already. Yes, I’ll also be rewatching all the movies. The same notes on order apply, or you can watch each movie after finishing the corresponding book. This is a great option if rereading all the books seems like too large a task.
- Remember Our Roots
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If you haven’t heard of the single greatest video to release in 2011, let me tell you about it. “Hunger Games: The Second Quarter Quell” is a 12-minute fan film of the 50th games made by YouTube page Mainstay Productions. This is a nostalgic piece of fandom lore that plenty of old-timers will be familiar with. If you haven’t seen it before, maybe give it a watch! I think it’ll be really cool to compare what fans created with the actual story Collins writes.
- Watch The Hunger Games Edits
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Specifically, I’m starting by scrolling through the official Lionsgate TikTok account, but after that, I’ll likely move on to other editors. This is one of my favorite brand accounts on the internet, and if you haven’t seen it before, I highly recommend checking it out.
It’s where the art of doom-scrolling meets the actual art of good edits. There’s no better way to get in the mood for more Hunger Games content than by consuming the fan-made content made to honor it.
- Attend the Barnes and Noble Midnight Release
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The minute I found out this was happening, I put it on my calendar. I haven’t been to a midnight book release since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was published in 2016. And that book wasn’t even particularly good.
I already have plans to go with several of my friends, and it’ll be awesome to spend the evening surrounded by people who love this franchise as much as I do. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you there!
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