“Sunrise on the Reaping” is the Long-Awaited Return to “The Hunger Games”

The newest addition (?) to the Hunger Games series has been released and fans have a lot of things to say. Photo by Katie Verde '28

Welcome back, tributes!

Released on March 18, “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins is the latest — and perhaps most politically charged — addition to “The Hunger Games” franchise. 

Set exactly 24 years before Katniss Everdeen sets foot into the arena, the book reintroduces us to the 50th Hunger Games. 

The novel follows Haymitch Abernathy, the gruff, sarcastic and alcoholic mentor who guided Katniss in the original trilogy. In this new installment, readers will meet and fall in love with a very different Haymitch: clever, witty and still hopeful enough to believe in a better future. 

Though readers may already know how his story ends, “Sunrise on the Reaping” is anything but predictable, immersing the reader in the power of propaganda and political manipulation. The novel starts with a familiar scene: reaping day in District 12 where every year since the failed rebellion against the Capitol, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen in a lottery and forced to fight to the death. 

However, as part of the Second Quarter Quell, a special twist is announced, doubling the number of tributes. While Haymitch at first avoids being chosen, after a second male tribute is killed, he is illegally forced into the arena. 

Collins doesn’t just show readers how Haymitch won, she shows them what he lost to do it. The trauma is psychological, emotional and deeply rooted in the systems of oppression that rule Panem.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is a reckoning. The novel dares readers to look beyond the Games and ask harder questions about power, resistance and the cost of survival. In revisiting Haymitch’s story, Collins deepens the mythology of Panem and reminds us that every tribute has a story. 

“‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ was such an amazing book that gave so much more depth to the original series,” said Caleigh Minnich ‘27. “It was so heartbreaking but held so many important messages.”

The Hunger Games franchise is one of the largest in the film industry and has earned more than three billion dollars worldwide. The film adaptation of “Sunrise on the Reaping” is set to hit the silver screen on Nov. 20, 2026. After the successful release of five films, eager fans will have to wait and see if this will live up to the same high standards. Hopefully, the odds will be ever in their favor.