‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Drops Next Week — What to Know About the ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

Ahead of the book’s release, publisher Scholastic released an audio teaser of author Suzanne Collins reading an exerpt

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Hunger Games fans won’t have to wait much longer for the next installment in the fantasy series to arrive. Sunrise on the Reaping officially hits shelves on March 18 and is now available for preorder from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other retailers.

Unsurprisingly, the hotly anticipated prequel is already a top five bestseller across retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with the latter retailer rolling out a limited-edition exclusive. The book’s publisher, Scholastic, announced that the audiobook will be narrated by Jefferson White, best known for his role in Yellowstone. The publisher also released an audio clip featuring Suzanne Collins reading an excerpt from Sunrise.

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Sunrise on the Reaping

Is Sunrise on the Reaping a Prequel?

This is the second prequel to the original Hunger Games book trilogy, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was released in 2020. Sunrise takes place 40 years after the events of that novel and 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games. Sunrise on the Reaping follows a new group of characters as they prepare for the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games (also known as the “Second Quarter Quell”). Of course, readers of the other books will know that — spoiler — Haymitch Abernathy won the Games, leading to retribution from President Snow.

Per Scholastic, “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.”

Will There Be a Sunrise on the Reaping Movie?

The film adaptation of The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released in 2023, and the Sunrise adaptation is slated to be released on November 20, 2026, from Lionsgate.

Longtime series director Francis Lawrence told Collider that they’re prepping in April and shooting the film in 2025. The book centers on Haymitch Abernathy, played in the original trilogy by Woody Harrelson, and casting details remain scant on who could play the younger version of the character.

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The Hunger Games Five Book Collection

Sunrise on the Reaping is also getting the box set treatment; fans can collect a 5-Book hardcover box set, which is available for preorder now and will be released on June 3, 2025.