Module 8: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Summary

Bella Swan, a high school student, encounters a first-love adventure of supernatural proportions when she comes to small town Forks, Washington. She is confused at why she is so interested in her biology lab partner, Edward Cullen, who seems to want nothing to do with her. He stands out from the crowd not only because of his looks, but because of something else she can explain. She just feels drawn to him. Through a series of strange encounters she soon discovers he is a vampire. Her attraction to him soon puts her life in danger, and thus the adventure begins.

Bibliographic Citation

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

Impressions

Twilight is an interesting tale of high school love between a human and a vampire. The tale keeps the reader's interest through character descriptions and dangerous encounters within the vampire world. After I read this first book, I was eager to read the next ones in the series.

Reviews

In the tradition of Anne Rice and YA titles such as Annette Curtis Klause’s The Silver Kiss (1999) comes this heady romance that intertwines Bella Swan’s life with that of Edward, an alluring and tormented vampire. Bella’s life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward’s hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won’t put her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward, but when a vicious, blood-lusting predator complicates her world, Bella’s peril is brutally revealed. This is a book of the senses: Edward is first attracted by Bella’s scent; ironically, Bella is repelled when she sees blood. Their love is palpable, heightened by their touches, and teens will respond viscerally. 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

Reviewed November 15, 2005-Booklist

Gr 9 Up -Headstrong, sun-loving, 17-year-old Bella declines her mom's invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen, a distant, stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. Meyer adds an eerie new twist to the mismatched, star-crossed lovers theme: predator falls for prey, human falls for vampire. This tension strips away any pretense readers may have about the everyday teen romance novel, and kissing, touching, and talking take on an entirely new meaning when one small mistake could be life-threatening. Bella and Edward's struggle to make their relationship work becomes a struggle for survival, especially when vampires from an outside clan infiltrate the Cullen territory and head straight for her. As a result, 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." -Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library"

Reviewed October 1, 2005-School Library Journal

Library Settings

This book could be used in a book talk program about vampires. A series of books about vampires could be introduced during the program. The Twilight Series could be part of a book display for a Halloween event in a library.