Get ready to travel back in time in Panem once again as Scholastic has released the official cover and synopsis for Sunrise on the Reaping, the next prequel in The Hunger Games series from author Suzanne Collins.
Sunrise on the Reaping will take readers back 24 years before Katniss Everdeen competed in her own Hunger Games, focusing on her mentor Haymitch Abernathy’s time in the game. As told in Catching Fire, Haymitch was chosen as District 12’s tribute for the 50th anniversary of the Hunger Games, otherwise known as the Second Quarter Quell. Unlike previous Hunger Games the number of tributes was doubled for each district, totalling 48 instead 24, as a special show for the anniversary and a reminder to the districts. Some details were revealed around how Haymitch won the Hunger Games along with the consequences to his family and loved ones, but plenty of other questions remained.
The official synopsis for the book reads:
Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
As the day dawns on the 50th annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight … and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
Woody Harrelson portrayed Haymitch in Lionsgate’s Hunger Games film series opposite Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks and Donald Sutherland.
The book is scheduled for release on March 18th, 2025. It will be the fifth book in the series after the original trilogy and the 2020 prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which focused on a young Coriolanus Snow during the 10th Hunger Games and the beginnings of his political career.
Sunrise on the Reaping is already being adapted by Lionsgate for the next installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film is set for release November 20th, 2026 with Francis Lawrence in talks to direct once again after directing the previous four of five films in the series.
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