Lisa-Dai K.

Venker
Twilight
By Stephenie Meyer
Hatchette Book Group
Copyright 2006
Cost
Follett Cost paperback $7.14, publishers hardback $16.99, Follett Bounded Glue $13.40
Amazon $6.04
ISBN: 0-316-16017-9
Reading Level
ATOS 4.9
RC 4.4
Lexile 720

Level Interest: Grades 9-12

Age 13+
Pages: paperback 498

Awards: Black-Eyed Susan Nominee 2007-2008

My Review
Authority: Stephenie Meyer is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in
English Literature.
Appropriateness: For young adult ages 13 and up. This is a fiction work that includes a
very interesting topic, vampires. It is imaginative and well written for this age level.
Reading levels are listed above.
Scope: This book is a best seller, and is highly sought after at most public libraries.
Treatment: There are little to no graphics. The book cover is presented in a well
photographed manor that invites readers to find out why the apple is in color and the
hands are not. There are some other cultures that are mixed into the story line including a
Native American tribe found in the northwestern portion of the United States. Biases are
not found in the book except for vampires. There are some physical limits with this book
in that the size and number of pages can be a struggle for some readers. The alternative is
eBooks, soft back, and audio books.
Authenticity: This is a current novel (2006) and retells the story of vampires in todays
society.
Arrangement & Organization: This book is well organized and is arranged as a story
that starts with the end in mind. The story then back tracks to the beginning. The end
leaves an opening for the second novel.

Instructional Design: This book opens minds and ideas to many possibilities. The
vocabulary level is low and will be an easy read for teens grades 8-12. This book also
offers a variety of challenging words that students will find in everyday life. This book
does arouse and motivate the mind for future reading if not other novels, just this series.
Special Features: No special features.
Material Available on The Subject: There are other materials available on history of
vampirism, American Indian culture, and the North-Western United States.
Value to Collection: This book does meet the need of high school readers. It is a highly
popular, best seller, with high interests for teens. I believe girls will be the primary reader
and this book will be taken out often due to its high interest. This book mixes folklore
and reality. You could use this book to compare common vampire folklore to this book's
images of vampires and of course where the stories came from orginally. This book is
available through public inter-library loan.
Series: This is a series and I would buy the whole set.
Sponsored Material: I couldnt find too much sponsored materials but additional
information is available at stepheniemeyer.com
Physical Form:
Technical Quality: Photographs are clear, eye-catching, but few are found. There are no
illustrations or drawings.
Aesthetics: The cover is of two pale-white hands holding a very red apple. The picture
doesnt give much away but makes you curious; it reminds you of Snow White and the
tainted apple. The title is also written in lowercase with a large l shaped like a knife in
silver/blue font.
Durable: The paperback version was viewed. The hardback is rather large and heavy. I
believe the paperback version is more manageable for teens. The pages are thin, rough,
but durable paper. The font is very open in orientation and leaves lots of white space for
easy reading. In addition there are many paragraph breaks that allow readers to not be
overwhelmed by the actual number of pages (498).---

Reviews
Library Media Connection (March 2006)
When her mother remarries, Bella moves herself to her father's home for her senior year.
Bella is resigned to a bored and overprotected existence with her police chief father, but
to her surprise, finds herself noticed in the small school where everyone has known each
other since childhood. The person she notices though is the mysterious and mercurial
Edward Cullen. Topaz eyes, ivory skin, and the grace of a large cat all give off dangerous
signals, but Bella is drawn in and even Edward's warning that he is dangerous will not

keep her away. Bella knows it is crazy, but could Edward be a vampire? Meyer has
written a story that will appeal to teens from the lush romanticism to the action-packed
finale. As a heroine, the klutzy Bella embodies the girl who has been "average" for so
long that she no longer sees anything remarkable about herself. Without considering the
supernatural aspects, it is a classic story of the star-crossed lovers who can only be
separated by great tragedy. 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. First in a trilogy, readers will be
anxiously awaiting the release date of the second volume. Recommended. Melissa
Bergin, Library Media Specialist/NBCT, Niskayuna (New York) High School
School Library Journal (October 1, 2005)
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 Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Review (September 15, 2005)
Sun-loving Bella meets her demon lover in a vampire tale strongly reminiscent of Robin
McKinley's Sunshine. When Bella moves to rainy Forks, Wash., to live with her father,
she just wants to fit in without drawing any attention. Unfortunately, she's drawn the eye
of aloof, gorgeous and wealthy classmate Edward. His behavior toward Bella wavers
wildly between apparent distaste and seductive flirtation. Bella learns Edward's appalling
(and appealing) secret: He and his family are vampires. Though Edward nobly warns
Bella away, she ignores the human boys who court her and chooses her vampiric suitor.
An all-vampire baseball game in a late-night thunderstorm-an amusing gothic take on
American family togetherness that balances some of the tale's romantic excesses-draws
Bella and her loved ones into terrible danger. This is far from perfect: Edward's portrayal
as monstrous tragic hero is overly Byronic, and Bella's appeal is based on magic rather
than character. Nonetheless, the portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot; fans of dark
romance will find it hard to resist. (Fantasy. YA)