By: Gracelyn Williams
Dystopian novel Sunrise On The Reaping is the fifth book from the Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins. The book is based around Katniss’s mentor Haymitch Abernathy and his backstory, set 24 years before the original Hunger Games series.
“I have read Sunrise On The Reaping,” Amanda Brenner, librarian at Bellbrook High School, said. “Not only have I read it, I actually attended a midnight release party at a local bookstore when it was released in March 2025.”
A movie adaption, directed by Francis Lawrence and distributed by Lions Gate, is set to be released in theaters on November 20. Most fans of the series are ecstatic about the new movie coming out. According to the AP News, Lawrence talked about how he wanted the film to be significantly brighter than the other films and some fans are stating that they picked out a dream cast for the characters in the book.
Although Lawrence made the scenes so ironic with the bright colors compared to the poisonous fields in the arena and the tragedies that follow soon after, there is a flicker of hope from this hunger games, a promising start to the rebellion.
The characters include Haymitch Abernathy played by Joseph Zada, Maysilee Donner played by Mckenna Grace, and Lenore Dove played by Whitney Peak. “I’m most excited to see the scene where Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark come back older in the epilogue,” sophomore Rilynn Fluitt said. This is a return of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson to their original roles in the series.
The 50th Hunger Games is one of the quarter quells, doubling the amount of tributes than normal. It’s very clear in the earlier books and movies that Haymitch has a rough time in his Hunger Games, expanding the concepts of Haymitch’s drinking problem that is very evident when he first meets Katniss on the train to the capital in the first book.
“Haymitch has always been a fan favorite,” Brenner said. “Getting his backstory gives us the real story behind some of his behaviors in the original Hunger Games trilogy. While it does not excuse these behaviors, it sheds light on all he endured during his own Hunger Games and the aftermath.”
Sunrise On The Reaping was filmed across locations in Spain and Germany. Producers used Somiedo Natural Park in Spain for the cornucopia, while the forest terrain scenes were filmed in Teverga and Montegrande Beech Forest in Spain.
Many fans plan to go see the movie in theaters, including Fluitt and other Hunger Games fans. Seeing how good the sequel Songbirds and Snakes did in box office in 2023, gaining approximately $300 million in revenue worldwide with a production rate of $100 million, Sunrise on The Reaping is expected to do well in theaters next month.
