Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: Everything to Know Before the Hunger Games Prequel Hits Theaters
Sunrise on the Reaping is the fifth novel in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series and the second prequel to the original trilogy, published in March 2025 by Scholastic Press. It became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, the landslide winner of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, and the basis for a Lionsgate film opening in theaters on November 20, 2026.
Book Details
| Title | Sunrise on the Reaping |
| Author | Suzanne Collins |
| Series | The Hunger Games, Book 5 (second prequel) |
| Publisher | Scholastic Press |
| Release Date | March 18, 2025 |
| Genre | Dystopian / Science Fiction (YA) |
| Length | 400 pages |
| Also By | The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes |
What Sunrise on the Reaping Is About
Twenty-four years before Katniss Everdeen ever steps into an arena, a teenage Haymitch Abernathy is reaped for the fiftieth Hunger Games — the second Quarter Quell, which doubles the number of tributes taken from every district. Haymitch just wants to make it through the day and stay close to the people he loves, but he’s shipped off to the Capitol alongside three other District 12 tributes, including a friend who’s practically family. As the Games close in, Haymitch starts to realize exactly how the odds were stacked against him from the start — and finds something worth fighting for that reaches beyond the arena itself. The book continues Collins’s long-running interest in propaganda and who gets to control the story.
A Question at the Heart of the Book
The novel is built around a single line from its own jacket copy:
“What is there left to fight for?”
Why It Became 2025’s Biggest YA Release
- Instant #1 New York Times bestseller, plus #1 rankings across the UK, Ireland, and Australia
- Sold more than 1.5 million World English copies in its first week; over 4.4 million copies to date
- Winner, 2025 Goodreads Choice Award — Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
- Winner, 2025 Likewise Choice Award — Book of the Year
- Named BookTok’s Book of the Year for 2025
- Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews
Now Coming to Theaters
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters on November 20, 2026, from Lionsgate. Francis Lawrence — who has directed every Hunger Games film since Catching Fire — returns to direct, working from a screenplay adapted by Billy Ray. Joseph Zada stars as a young Haymitch Abernathy, in a cast that includes Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang, Iris Apatow, and Edvin Ryding, alongside returning and franchise-adjacent stars Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Jesse Plemons, Billy Porter, and Lili Taylor.
Where to Buy Sunrise on the Reaping in Bangladesh
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins — Ki Chai Shop
- 280৳ (down from 450৳)
- Cash on delivery available
- Nationwide delivery across Bangladesh
- Secure online payment options
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Sunrise on the Reaping movie release? November 20, 2026, in theaters worldwide via Lionsgate.
Do I need to read the rest of the Hunger Games series first? No — Sunrise on the Reaping works as a standalone prequel, though longtime fans will catch extra depth from knowing Haymitch’s later story.
How much does Sunrise on the Reaping cost in Bangladesh? 280৳ at Ki Chai Shop, down from 450৳, with nationwide cash-on-delivery available.
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