Sunrise on the Reaping
On March 17th, Barnes and Noble located in Fair Lakes, Fairfax, VA, hosted a midnight release of the highly anticipated Sunrise on the Reaping book by Suzanna Collins. This novel, which I have written about before, follows the events of the 50th Hunger Games, which features a character we know and love: Haymitch Abernathy.Â
Hunger Games: Sunrise on the ReapingâWhat is it About?
As soon as I heard of this happening, I begged two of my friends, who agreed almost instantly, to come with me to this midnight release. I was beyond excited. The Hunger Games franchise has been a favorite of mine since middle school. The way Suzanne Collins writes her novels, in both an emotional and political way, draws me in and keeps me begging for more.Â
The event started at 9:30 pm, but we arrived fashionably late, around 10:15 pm. A table welcomed us in, handing us some free promotional items for the book and a piece of string. They told us the string could be used to create a keychain using beads from around the store. There was also a scavenger hunt where shoppers would roam the store and find each district of Panem with a corresponding bead. I thought that was super cool.Â
There were also some themed drinks that Starbucks was making that represented certain characters from the novel. For Effie, they served an iced vanilla mocha with cherry cold foam and sprinkles. For Peeta, they were serving a java chip matcha frappuccino topped with mocha powder. For Finnick, they were serving a brown sugar steamer with hibiscus spice tea. Lastly, for Haymitch, they were serving a hot americano with dark caramel. All of these drinks sounded great, but I refrained from getting one.Â
In the cafe portion of Starbucks, they also had a few activities that anticipated readers could work on. They had a printed worksheet for the scavenger hunt I mentioned above. They also had an âAcross the Districts Crossword Puzzle,â and a âUltimate Citizen Unscramble.â The crossword puzzle tested my knowledge, but already I knew a lot of the information!
In the center of the store was the customer service desk, which was branded as the âcapitalâ. There they hosted trivia and âthis or thatâ games. If you answered a question or defended your stance you were able to receive a 20% sticker that you could use for any book in the store, apart from Sunrise on the Reaping.Â
How âSunrise on the Reapingâ Connects to the Hunger Games series
Additional district sections had activities to keep us all busy until midnight! District 1 was the luxury items, where the new sprayed edges editions of the Hunger Games books are set on display.Â
I wanted to buy them so badly! District 2 had military training, where we could play cornhole, roulette, and darts. Lastly, District 7, where local authors such as Abbie Fine, Anna Bright, Lisa Maxwell, Scarlett Honey, and Jodi Meadows were selling and signing books! I was so excited to learn that Jodi Meadows was going to be there. I have been wanting to read My Lady Jane so badly and I got my hands on a signed copy!Â
At 11:55 pm they lined us up to receive our copies. We were about in the middle of the line, but it was a very smooth process. They were super quick and efficient. I almost cried when receiving my book but I managed to hold it in. This book has had me in a chokehold for MONTHS and as soon as I got home I cracked it open to read.Â
I am not ashamed to say that I read the book in less than 24 hours. Yes, my schoolwork and sleep schedule were neglected, but I did what had to be done. And Oh. My. God. It was so good. I gasped, I screamed, and I cried..and that means it changed my life.Â
This book adds so much more to the original series and provides a lot of context that I think amplifies the other novels. It was so interconnected with the other books, which had me yearning for characters from the original series.Â
This novel, without spoiling anything, covers intense topics of censorship, government control, and propaganda. Suzanne Collins did it again. She created an entertaining book that is inherently political and educational, and I think this is the exact book people need to read during this particular time in history.Â