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Waterstones launches Sunrise on the Reaping with 110 in-store midnight parties
Suzanne Collins’ hotly anticipated prequel to The Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping (Scholastic), launched at Waterstones Piccadilly in a six-storey celebration as readers joined midnight parties across the UK last night (18th March).
One of the biggest book launches of the year – the next novel in the global bestselling Hunger Games series – saw shops open their doors at midnight to provide the first look at the book. Hundreds of fans queued for the biggest event of all: Waterstones Piccadilly and Scholastic staged the ultimate night of Hunger Games-themed entertainment across six floors in anticipation of the midnight release of the book.
The exclusive, sold-out ticketed bookshop lock-in from 10pm to midnight included unique events, with a world exclusive virtual interview with David Levithan (Collins’ long-term publisher), an in-person panel of YA literary stars (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Samantha Shannon, Katherine Webber and Bill Wood) discussing the cultural impact of The Hunger Games, and the Ultimate Hunger Games Quiz with sudden-death rounds.
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With the store divided into "Districts" to mirror the books, fans enjoyed activities from axe throwing, archery and film screenings to nail art, glitter tattoos, origami and facepainting. Cosplay actors and enthusiastic fans brought the Capitol and Districts of Panem to life.
In total, 110 Waterstones branches across the UK hosted midnight launches, early openings and publication day parties.
Sunrise on the Reaping is set at the dawn of the 50th annual Hunger Games as fear grips the Districts of Panem. In honour of the "Quarter Quell", twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes to face the deadly arena. This new story follows Haymitch Abernathy – a character from the original trilogy – and readers will discover what happened at his fateful Games.
The feature-film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping is slated for November 2026.
