‘Hunger Games’ prequel to hit shelves this week

(WFLA/CNN Newsource) – Fans of “Hunger Games” are excited about a new release this week.

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” by best-selling author Suzanne Collins, is a prequel to the Hunger Games series.

The publisher, Scholastic, says the book takes place 64 years before the event sof the original novel.

The original “The Hunger Games” novel was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 260 weeks, with more than 100 million copies of all three books in the trilogy in print and digital formats worldwide.

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is expected to hit shelves May 19.