Seventeen years after writing the first book in the “Hunger Games” trilogy, Suzanne Collins released “Sunrise on the Reaping” (SOTR) on March 18. Since its release, it has become wildly popular, selling 1.5 million copies in its first week with a Goodreads rating of 4.6 and a movie set to release sometime in 2026.

The novel takes place in the dystopian nation of Panem, 24 years before the original Hunger Games trilogy. Each year, the government punishes the nation’s 12 districts for a past attempted uprising by sending two children from each district to compete in a televised fight to the death. Sunrise on the Reaping focuses on Haymitch Abernathy, the mentor of the protagonists from the original series and the victor of the 50th Hunger Games, almost 25 years before the original series ended. 

“As far as Haymitch’s role as a protagonist, I enjoyed reading from his [point of view],” Lucy Juergens ’26 said. “I felt more empathy for his character by the end of the book, so much so that I reread the [rest of the] series.”

In the U.S., it has sold twice as many books as the previous sequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and three times as many as “Mockingjay”, the final installment in the original series in their first week. The book is also already the 2nd most popular book published in 2025, according to Goodreads.

“The book had me in shambles by the end,” Juergens said. “There were some moments in the book that were particularly memorable, like learning Haymitch’s connection to other tributes, … his connection to both Peeta and Katniss’s family,… [and] why he is the way he is.”

Some students enjoy how SOTR focuses on characters from the original series. Shay said, “I love the direction they took in this book, especially with [Panem’s President] Snow.”

While the book was enjoyable, Juergens felt like it was too separate from earlier novels. “I liked the book, but I’m not sure it added to the others in the series,” she said. “It was entertaining and I enjoyed reading it, but there were moments that felt somewhat anticlimactic.”

 Ro March ’27 saw the contrast between the ultra-rich Capitol and the impoverished districts in SOTR as a social commentary. “The Capitol, in this new book, is a very clear representation of current events … it’s making people self-aware of who they think of as the Capitol,” March said. “I keep seeing comments of people saying, ‘Why is she writing another book?’ … [But Collins] writes when she has something to say. I think there’s a reason.”

The novel discusses how many people can come together for one goal. “I think [the book] was a commentary about how fighting for justice is always important, and anyone can do it, but it takes a village,” Shay said.