At 12:00 a.m. on March 23, freshman Julia Nguyen won’t be asleep or doing homework like most other students. Instead, she will be filing into a movie theater for the midnight premiere of the Hunger Games. Nguyen will be sporting a homemade fan t-shirt and says she will be suppressing screams and tears of excitement. She is one of many students who have been captivated by the trilogy and is now anxiously awaiting the premiere of its first film.

“The meaning [of the book] is magnificent and I can’t wait for the movie,” Nguyen said. “No other books have made me cry and cry for hours. No other book has made me sit there, for hours, thinking about how society is.”

Nguyen considers herself obsessed with the series because of how the story can be related to present day society. She says that just as the fictional government watches the bloody Hunger Games for entertainment, our society watches celebrities. She calls author Suzanne Collins “brilliant.”

“We watch celebrities through their tragedies and hard times for entertainment, but they’re just real people.”

Nguyen has been preparing for the premiere.

“I’ve been practicing not to scream and cry. Once in a while, I will go on YouTube and watch all the trailers and interviews without making any sounds. Whenever I’m about to scream, I will bite myself,” Nguyen said.

Some English teachers have also added the book to their curriculum. For example, Julia Hanneman and Catherine Gibson have each chosen to include the book in literature circles for their junior and senior classes, respectively.

“The lit circle is supposed to be about books they want to read,” Gibson said. “I don’t know who wouldn’t want [to read The Hunger Games].”

Hanneman agrees that these books are great for teenagers.

“These are just the types of books that you consume,” Hanneman said.

Other students will also be attending the midnight premiere, although some have avoided the online trailers and clips so that they can enjoy the movie.

“I have tried to stay away from the early releases of unseen footage and clips for The Hunger Games the best I can. However, I do admit that I have seen a fair share of it myself,” senior Alvin Chan said. “I have made a really bad habit of tracking it on Tumblr and other social networking sites, but I have restrained myself enough to prevent any other information from spoiling the entire movie.”

Chan bought his tickets for the movie four months in advance, but unlike some avid fans, he will not me sporting a costume.

“I am really against any replication of the characters’ costumes in terms of clothing and accessories,” Chan said. “I can understand that certain fans are extremely passionate about the movie and the books, yet it will never be as good as the people they hire to make [the costumes].”

The first book and movie in the trilogy, The Hunger Games, focuses on Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawerence). Katniss lives in the country of Panem, in a post-apocalyptic world, under the suppression of the Capitol. Each year, two teenagers from the 12 districts of Panem are selected to compete in the Hunger Games, a battle to the death.

After her younger sister is chosen, Katniss volunteers for the games, knowing full well her chances for survival are slim. Katniss is thrown into an arena with a boy from her district, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). Sometimes together and sometimes apart, they maneuver their way through the arena to stay alive. Other recognizable stars in the movie include Donald Sutherland, Woddy Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci. Anticipation for the film has been increasing for weeks as more clips and trailers have been released.

Part of the appeal of the book lies in the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Katniss’s childhood friend, Gale. AHS seems divided on which guy they want Katniss to choose.

“I was Team Peeta for the first book, but then I went back and forth between the two,” Gibson said. Hanneman disagrees.

“I’m on Team Gale for the books. I just think he’s more sturdy,” Hanneman said. “In the movie though, I think Peeta looks hotter.”

Nguyen chooses not to pick a side in this battle though.

“The books aren’t mainly about the ‘love triangle.’ It has a greater meaning, and I want other people to realize that,” Nguyen said.