Module 8 - Twilight

Cover art retrieved from its record in worldcat

 Bibliography

Meyer, S. (2005).  Twilight.  New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Summary

Isabella (Bella) Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington, to live with her dad so her mom could follow her new husband on the baseball circuit.  Once in Forks, Bella renews an old friendship with Jacob Black who lives on the reservation, develops new friendships as well as a growing attraction to a boy named Edward who seems to have an aversion to her.  Jacob and her new friends warn Bella about Edward but she can’t seem to get him out of her mind or dreams.  After beginning a tentative relationship with him, Bella makes discoveries about Edward and his family’s secret, the reason why he tried to avoid her, a secret that eventually puts her in danger and forces the Cullen family to step in to save her life.

My Impressions

I bought Twilight when it came out but never read it until the movie after the movie premier was announced.  Since I don’t like to watch a movie based on a book first, I pulled it out and read it, in part out of curiosity about all the hoopla about the book and in part because the author lived in my city.  I can’t say the story was perfect but it was a good read with an ending left open to lure the reader into reading the next book in the series.  It was obvious, even without knowing about a sequel, that there would be a second book.  There is enough realism to create a connection with its readers even with fantasy woven into the story.  I love fantasy and vampires so I knew I would read the rest of Bella and Edward’s story.

Reviews/Awards

Indigo Teen Read Award (nominee), 2010

3 Apples Book Award, 2009

Evergreen Young Adult Book Award, 2008

Young Adults' Choices, 2007

“ The novel’s danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive. Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it.”—School Library Journal

“ In the tradition of Anne Rice. . .this dark romance is gripping.”—Booklist  

“There are some flaws here--a plot that could have been tightened, an overreliance on adjectives and adverbs to bolster dialogue--but this dark romance seeps into the soul.”—Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Nov. 15, 2005 (Vol. 102, No. 6))

“While there is nothing more explicit in the story than a couple passionate clinches, Meyer is painfully accurate in the emotional and physical responses to being in proximity of the object of your desire.”—Melissa Bergin (Library Media Connection, March 2006)

 Suggested Activities

Twilight would be a great book to introduce different types of legends such as vampires and werewolves.