Twilight

Bibliography:

Meyers, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown & Company, 498 pp.

Genre:

Fiction

In the novel Twilight, the introspective Bella Swan leaves sun-drenched Arizona to live with her father in Forks. Even though Bella’s transition into her new high school goes well, she despises Forks where the rain is perpetual and everything is unnaturally green.

Bella could have her pick of boyfriends, but finds herself attracted to the one person who seems to want nothing to do with her: Edward Cullen. When Bella meets Edward, he glares at her with black eyes full of hate. She does not understand his instant hostility toward her, but is transfixed by his unnatural physical beauty and grace. In fact, the whole Cullen family is amazingly attractive. When Edward returns to school the following week his black eyes are golden and he is charming to Bella, her obsession deepens, but he pulls away again.

When an out-of-control truck careens toward Bella in the school parking lot, Edward uses his superhuman strength and speed to save her life; and she discovers that he in not a mere mortal. The remainder of the novel is dedicated to Bella and Edward’s developing relationship. She eventually discovers that he is a vampire and attempts to convince him to make her a vampire.

The combination of Edward’s heroism, the small town Forks environment, and the constant rain, provide a very soothing setting for Twilight, making it easy to relax while reading this book. I should qualify my last statement: it is easy to relax except when Bella does something stupid and endangers herself, which she constantly seems to do. Aside from just being a klutz, Bella is a magnet for trouble.

This book does not address any multicultural issues.

I would recommend this book for ages 13 and older for independent reading and small reading groups.