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THE HUNGER GAMES Novels Get 10th Anniversary Editions With New Content

10 years later, Scholastic is celebrating THE HUNGER GAMES with newly released extras!

Can you believe it’s already been 10 years since the release of The Hunger Games?

If you’re a lover of the series, prepare to celebrate with a new offering from Scholastic: A new paperback box set with unique covers with exclusive content from author Suzanne Collins!

The special edition set will include ” more than 50 pages of new content, including the most extensive interview Collins has given since the publication of The Hunger Games, an archival conversation between Collins and YA phenom Walter Dean Myers on writing about war, and a timeline of highlights from the first 10 years of The Hunger Games, from the first book’s publication to the aftermath of the final film’s release,” according to EW, who also unveiled the new cover designs.

Take a look!

The publication also released a short excerpt from Suzanne Collins’ lengthy interview with Scholastic Vice President David Levithan, which is featured among the new content. This particular pull is about how Collins first envisioned Katniss and came up with up her name.

David Levithan: Another key piece of The Hunger Games is the voice and perspective that Katniss brings to it. I know some novelists start with a character and then find a story through that character, but with The Hunger Games (and correct me if I’m wrong) I believe you had the idea for the story first, and then Katniss stepped into it. Where did she come from? I’d love for you to talk about the origin of her name, and also the origin of her very distinctive voice.

Suzanne Collins: Katniss appeared almost immediately after I had the idea, standing by the bed with that bow and arrow. I’d spent a lot of time during The Underland Chronicles weighing the attributes of different weapons. I used archers very sparingly because they required light and the Underland has little natural illumination. But a bow and arrow can be handmade, shot from a distance, and weaponized when the story transitions into warfare. She was a born archer.

Her name came later, while I was researching survival training and specifically edible plants. In one of my books, I found the arrowhead plant, and the more I read about it, the more it seemed to reflect her. Its Latin name has the same roots as Sagittarius, the archer. The edible tuber roots she could gather, the arrowhead-shaped leaves were her defense, and the little white blossoms kept it in the tradition of flower names, like Rue and Primrose. I looked at the list of alternative names for it. Swamp Potato. Duck Potato. Katniss easily won the day.

As to her voice, I hadn’t intended to write in first person. I thought the book would be in the third person like The Underland Chronicles. Then I sat down to work and the first page poured out in first person, like she was saying, “Step aside, this is my story to tell.” So I let her.

The new special editions will be released on October 30, 2018. Unfortunately, it’s not up for preorder quite yet.

By Kait

Kait is a New Englander, a YA book and adaptation lover, and a Slythindor, as well as a red velvet and red wine enthusiast. She likes to like things. Catch her on Twitter: @kaitmary