First Week Flashback

As hinted at last week in the Final Week Feature post, we'll also have a First Week Flashback post over the summertime. So...without further ado...we'll start things with flashback to Harry Potter Hump Day posts from this blog and Hunger Games posts since both series/franchises have new material!

In the summertime of 2014, the blog posts featured different Harry Potter-related content. Looking for information about the Pottermore website? Or Harry Potter World? Online Harry Potter quizzes? All of those and more were part of the summertime blog reading. You can even see how J.K. Rowling planned some of the storytelling on notebook paper with notes and tables.

Over the course of the Hunger Games series in both written and cinematic form, we celebrated read-alikes and the release of the movies themselves. 

Looking back on posts is all fine and good, but let's talk about the new material related to both series/authors! First, J.K. Rowling announced in late May that she was publishing online a new short story called The Ickabog.

“J.K. Rowling Introduces The Ickabog.” J.K. Rowling, 29 May 2020, www.jkrowling.com/j-k-rowling-introduces-the-ickabog/.

On her website, Rowling explains that the story was one she wrote between Harry Potter novels and would read to her two children. She intends to publish online at least one chapter every weekday between May 26 and July 10 on the Ickabog website. Rowling also announced that there is an illustration competition for the publication of the story in November 2020. You can find out more about the competition HERE. Finally, Rowling has said that all royalties from the sale of the book later this year will be donated to those who have been affected by the coronavirus.

The other big news is that a prequel to the Hunger Games series called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released in mid-May.

“Suzanne Collins.” Suzanne Collins -, www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/.

This book is from President Snow's perspective as a young man who serves as a student mentor in the tenth Hunger Games. Click on the link below the image to watch the official trailer from Scholastic:

LINK FOR TRAILER

Sounds intriguing? Stop by the library when school resumes to check out The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes from Suzanne Collins.

Like The Hunger Games? Try These Series, Too!

There's no getting around it--The Hunger Games continues to be one of the most popular book series. With the Catching Fire movie coming out this fall, the series' popularity isn't lessening any time soon. If you liked the books and want to try some others like it, you might be interested in these series. (You can also CLICK HERE to see an earlier blog post about similar titles.)

Divergent/Insurgent/Allegiant, by Veronica Roth

 

In this dystopian series, five factions control the country. Triss leaves her family faction to join Dauntless, where she meets Four. Everyone has secrets, and things are not as they seem--even Triss's choice to join Dauntless. The Divergent movie comes out in 2014, and Allegiant, the next in the series, will be released in October 2013.

Graceling/Fire/Bitterblue, Kristin Cashore

Katsa is a Graceling--a person with extraordinary abilities who is often an outcast. Follow her story as her uncle tries to use her killing skills to attain even more power in the kingdom. Bitterblue is the direct sequel to Graceling while Fire is a companion novel that tells the story of Fire, an unusual girl from a different kingdom but with a tie to the events and characters in Graceling and Bitterblue.

Gone/Hunger/Lies/Fear/Plague/Light, Michael Grant

Everyone in Perdido Beach disappears, or "poofs" when they hit their 15th birthdays. That leaves adolescents and children to carry on/survive and try to figure out what has happened to them. Adding to the mystery are an energy field that surrounds the entire town and the supernatural powers that some of the children develop. Power struggles and mysteries abound!

Life As We Knew It/The Dead and the Gone/This World We Live In, 
Susan Beth Pfeffer

When the moon is pushed closer to the Earth after a meteor strikes it, the people on Earth are unprepared for the tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, shorter growing seasons, and changes in atmospheric conditions. The first two books follow different families in different settings, but the third book finds them together in a struggle to survive and attempt to resume normal lives.

Want to know more about additional similar titles? You can check out Buzz Feed's entire list when you CLICK HERE.

Catching Fire Poster Released

Are you eagerly waiting for Nov. 22 when Catching Fire hits theaters? A new, official movie poster was recently released--take a look!

Katniss stands high atop a stone outcropping, and she's clearly ready for battle with her bow and arrow. But look more closerly--see those clouds behind her? A little angelic looking, maybe? Or are they the wings of a mockingjay? Hmmm. . . 

Want to see more? You can check out one of the teaser trailers below:

If You Loved The Hunger Games. . .

Here's the list a lot of us have waited for: books and series to read if we love The Hunger Games. Click here to access the 2BusyBrunettes blog, where the creators have put together a description of 25 books that are similar to The Hunger Games. The best part? We have many of these in our own library! Stop in or access your Destiny Quest account to check the availability. See you soon!