I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Lions Gate. I received a book, products, and a promotional item to thank me for participating. Also, this post contains spoilers in the section marked “Guide to Discussing Mockingjay.” If you haven’t read the book, you may want to skip that part.

Are you ready for Mockingjay to hit theaters this month? I am! I cannot wait. Although I can’t go on opening night, I’m going the first week for sure. I love to go during the day when all the kids are in school. The theater is actually pretty empty then! Of course I had to re-read the entire series before I go see Mockingjay. Rather than reading the final book all by my lonesome, though, I got to make it a social event with a book club party, complete with Mockingjay Mocktails! Grab your copy of Mockingjay and sit back, because I’m going to tell you how to host the coolest Mockingjay book club party, share details about the upcoming movie and give you a peek at the trailer. Of course, I’ll also give you my Mockingjay Mocktail recipe!

How to Throw an Amazing Mockingjay Book Party

Let’s start with the basics, shall we? To throw an amazing Mockingjay book party and really prep for the release of the movie, you’ll need, at the least, enough copies of the book to go around. Thanks to Influence Central, I was able to supply these to my guests. Whether you choose to do that or want everyone to get their own is up to you. Just make sure everyone has their copy before the party. Also, make sure your guests have read the first two books. Sometimes you can get away with skipping books in the series. The Hunger Games is not such a series.

You’ll also need some ground rules. Everyone reads at a different pace. You don’t want one guest to ruin the book for another. Consider issuing a “gag” order until the actual book party. No one discussing it until everyone has read it and you’ve all reconvened at the party.

Guide to Discussing Mockingjay

The whole point of a Mockingjay book party is to discuss the book (and the series itself). That doesn’t mean you have to sit around on sofas and chairs in the living room, highlighted copy of book in hand. Discussing a book should be as fun as reading it. Take the party out of the living room! Hang out in the kitchen and discuss it over snacks. Sit on your back porch if you’re lucky enough to live in a warm climate. The setting doesn’t really matter. What does matter, though? Being prepared with discussion questions. While I think a natural discussion of the story is better than going off a list, sometimes you need a few starter questions to get people talking. Take a look at a few of my favorites.

1. Did District 13 live up to your expectations? Were you totally blown away by the fact that they were even more controlling than the Capitol or did you kind of see that coming?

2. Many beloved characters were killed off in Mockingjay. Which one upset you the most? Do you think the story could have worked without killing that character?

3. How do you think the Hunger Games series stacks up to the dystopian fiction we read in high school? Do you feel it will become as big a classic as books like 1984 and Brave New World? Why or why not?

4. What makes the Hunger Games series appealing to women beyond the teen years? Why is it such a hit among so many age groups?

5. Were you happy with the ending?

I’m not going to give you all our thoughts on those questions because I don’t want to take the spoiler section too far here, but I do want to share my thoughts on the fourth question: What makes the Hunger Games series so appealing to me, a 39-year-old woman? Well, I do enjoy a lot of YA fiction, but I don’t think that’s the only reason. Katniss may be a teenager, but she lives in times that forced her to grow up fast. For all intents and purposes, she might as well be an adult. Here and now, we don’t send our kids off to battle until they’re at least 18.

Another reason the Hunger Games appeals to me so much: I sometimes see our society heading towards dystopia. Strip away the strange elements of the story (the odd way of dressing in the Capitol, the technology that we don’t yet have, etc) and you really start to see some scary parallels between our current world and that of the Collins’ imagination. Enough doom and gloom though, let’s talk about that Mockingjay Mocktail!

Mockingjay Mocktail Recipe

Ingredients (per 12 ounces)

• 8 ounces blue raspberry juice
• 4 ounces raspberry seltzer water
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• whipped cream

Combine the first three ingredients, then top with whipped cream. That’s it!

Watch the Mockingjay Trailer

Before closing the book on your Mockingjay party, gather your guests around to watch the Mockingjay trailer. I get goosebumps every time I see it! Have I mentioned that I cannot wait for the 21st?

Are you excited? Can’t get enough Mockingjay? Head over to the Mockingjay website for more videos, cool posters, cast details and so much more.

Now go host your own Mockingjay book party, then come back and tell me all about it! Or just tell me your thoughts on one of my discussion questions. I love to hear from you!