Title - Twilight
Author- Stephanie Meyers
ISBN 0316160172
Publication Information- Little Brown
Plot Summary- Bella Swan has decided to give her mother the space she needed to be with her latest boyfriend by moving in with her father in Oregon. Bella feels out of place as the new girl in a very small town, and everyone seems to be nice to her except her science partner, Edward Cullen. Edward seems revolted by her for no apparent reason and disappears for several days. However, upon his return, he becomes oddly kind. One winter day as she is walking to her car, Edward saves her from a freak accident by stopping a car from hitting her. At that moment, Bella realizes that something is very different about Edward and she refuses to accept any of the answers he gives her. The more she gets to know him, the more she realizes that he is not normal. After being nearly attacked by strangers after getting lost in another town, she figures out that Edward and his family are vampires and that he is intensely attracted to her. They become inseparable until another group of vampires finds the Cullen family and wants to hunt Bella. The Cullen family attempts to hide Bella but James are able to draw her out anyway. After the fight, Bella wakes up in the hospital with Edward telling her that they should not be together. Nevertheless, Edward takes Bella to the prom.
Critical Evaluation- The first of the widely popular Twilight series was an immediate hit with teenage girls. Edward quickly became the heartthrob of girls everywhere. Bella is the everygirl figure. She does not think she is particularly attractive but all the boys are interested in her. She draws the attention of the most unattainable and perfect boy in the school. Furthermore, vampire stories are traditionally a reflection of society of that creates the story. Recently, vampires have left the realm of monsters to be feared and have instead become immortal beauties to be envied. Edward and his family no longer kill human beings; like humans, they kill animals. Edward's family all attempt to live as humans by having jobs or going to school. They very action of being a "family" is antithetical to the traditional vampire story. All in all, while this is not the best vampire story out there, it has rekindled the genre in a major way.
Reader's Annotation- What would you do if the most beautiful man in the school was infatuated with you? What if he wanted to drink your blood?
Author Information- Stephanie Meyers is the new Hollywood star of the young adult writing world. She has published the entire Twilight series and a new novel, Host. Her website has the beginnings of the Twilight novel told from Edward's perspective instead of Bella's. For Meyers it started simply as a writing exercise but became incredibly popular with her readers. She plans to publish this novel eventually too- the first of an author to my knowledge.
Curricular Ties- none unless in comparison to Dracula
Genre- Vampire, Romance
Book talking ideas- Is Edward selfish by allowing himself to know Bella? Should Bella listen to Edward and return to her mother?
Challenge issues- Vampire stories are often objected because of the "demonic" nature of the protagonist.
- Re-read the text to familiarize myself with the story
- Ask parents for their specific objections (they are required to file that with our school district)
- Review approved books list from California Department of Education for similar materials
- Review approaches from ALA
Interest Age- 14- adult (I know a LOT of adults who have enjoyed this novel)
Why I selected this piece- I love vampire novels from Dracula to Interview with a Vampire so this series was an easy sell for me.
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