Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion

Thought we could start a thread on Twilight. This thread will have spoilers for all 4 books, you are warned!

Personally I hated how the series ended. What about everyone else?

I'm with you, Angie. I loved Twilight, liked New Moon, really liked Eclipse, but was very disappointed by Breaking Dawn. The series is horror/romance; not everything has to be fully resolved. Some sacrifices and hurts are necessary to stay true the series in my opinion.

I just felt like the last book was rushed... and next are spoilers from the last book:





The pregnancy took half the book, then the Jacob in love with the baby thing, then the build up to the end of the book with the vampires and no fight even happened. Very disappointing all around.

i thought it was a little strange, but i still liked it.

I just started on Eclipse. Just curious, what team is everyone on? Edward or Jacob? I am so Team Edward. Jacob totally betrayed Bella at the end of New Moon.

I like them both, but obviously Bella has to end up w/Edward.

Hummm..... I really am kinda for Jacob. I don't know if it's because he is the underdog or what? But I always feel bad for him! Ashley, I can't wait till you read the last book so we can discuss this more~

Did anyone read Midnight Sun?

I read Twilight, skipped New Moon, and skimmed New Moon. I was worn out by then. Too much. Over-the-top, repetitive writing style. I think once I go through the process of meeting and discovering a character, I'm done. I'm the same way with lots of TV series: I'm enraptured by the first season and then totally bored.

I also started her "adult" title, THE HOST and was also sorely disappointed. It read like her teen titles; I didn't see much difference. Just a sci-fi romance for gushing girls.

I'm almost finished with Breaking Dawn and have to admit I did what Steph did with this and with New Moon and Eclipse - I skimmed much of it because there was a lot of repetitive exposition. Twilight kept me turning pages that I actually read, in much the way Brown's The Da Vinci Code did.

I really disliked Breaking Dawn. It was like the story was written to tie up all the loose ends for a happy every after.

Quite a boring read, I really struggled to finish the book.

Perhaps I am still a goofy teenage girl at heart, but Breaking Dawn gave me what I was looking for...I wanted to see Bella as a vampire, I wanted them to live happily ever after, and I wanted Jacob to imprint on someone. It seemed appropriate that Stephenie Meyer tie everything up with a "big bow" as she put it.

The writing of the series has never been stellar, but I have to admit that I read Breaking Dawn in one sitting immediately after I purchased it when it came out at midnight.

I just felt that imprinting on a baby was a little too like a pedophile for me. I know of course the author did not intend it to be that way, but that is what it was like to me.

I read what was posted on meyer's website and devoured it like the entire series. I pray that she finishes and publishes it even though we know what happens. There's just something about Edward's perspective that brings new light to the series. But then again, I am a fan.

Oh yeah the imprinting on the baby was gross!

I have yet to read Midnight Sun. I'm sad it was leaked unfinished on the internet. It would've made a really good story.

Ashley it's on Stephanie Meyers official website:

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnigh...

with an explanation why the story is on hold indefinitely :(

There is a June 2008 update that says Midnight Sun is her next project. She wasn't going to do it but then she changed her mind. She actually IS going to finish it and hopes to have it published. I can't imagine any publisher in their right mind saying no!

Anyone going to the movie?

I will be going to the movie and am excited to see if it is any good! I won't be able to go till Sat so I will let you know what I think!

I saw the movie today and enjoyed it. I thought they did a good job following the book.

Angie i'm jealous. Twilight comes to New Zealand on the 10th of December.

Oh I hate waiting!

Hi everyone,
My name is Crystal. I am 26, and really passionate about young adult literature (I am a teacher, have worked in a public Children's library and am currently working in the Curriculum Resources collection at a university library, which supports pre-service teachers ie- I get to read lots of kids and young adults books!!!!).

I am interested in what people think about Bella as being a positive role model for young people. I'm part of the ChildLit discussion forum, and many people have pooh-poohed Bella as being a positive role model for girls. Bella has been accused of being 'bit of a twit and a bit idiotic' with regards to her relationship with Edward (eg putting herself in danger intentionally etc).

What does everyone think? Is Bella a 'twit'? Is she a good role model? Do you even think of her as a role model? Is it even important?

What of your thoughts on Edward? Do you think Bella and Edward's relationship is an accurate reflection of real-life relationships?

I have read the series and absolutely devoured them!!! (and I'm totally looking forward to seeing the movie when it comes out here in Australia!)

I'd be really interested to hear all of your thoughts.

Cheers,

Crystal =)

Well as far as YA goes I do think this book would be good for role models... mainly because the characters do not have sex before marriage and because the books really tone down the whole vampire teeth and gore. Like in the movie it was driving me nuts that there were no vampire teeth! But this is probably a good thing for YA.

I liked the movie. However, I do have mixed feelings about Bella as a role model. I guess I would have liked to see a bit of a stronger female. It's kind of ironic because I teach Romeo and Juliet and all the teens think Juliet is an idiot for giving up everything for Romeo, yet Bella is willing to do the same thing to be with Edward.

I also think that in Breaking Dawn the first hundred pages really played the sex up too much for a teenage audience.

I don't see Bella as a role model. I don't think that's important. She is who she is.

Crystal, I have mixed emotions about Bella being considered a role model for anyone -teen or not. While I think the book is good escapist fantasy, the concept of a teen girl so easily willing to give up her life and her humanity before having truly experienced it is ludicrous at best and irresponsible at worst. While it's true there is no bad language or sex in the first 3 books, there is a lot more to "role model behavior" than merely the conventional vices.

Most of the people I went to high school with had sex young. Everyone did it. I know people don't want to hear that. But it's the truth. So I think it is important to see someone who hasn't has sex. Yea it is a little weird that Bella gives up her whole life so young for a guy, but maybe YA will see that. Too many girls get pregnant at 15 and what about the rest of their lives? So maybe by reading this they will see how much of their youth they would give up?

I think that Bella is a horrible stereotypical excuse for a heroin. She seems to lack enough common sense to realize that vampires might not be the best of company.
She is supposed to be clumsy so that she can relate to girls across the nation.
Another stereotype. And not every girl is clumsy to the point of near retardation. She is constantly throwing herself into helpless and painful situations (we call this masochistic) and then having Edward swoop in and save her! YAY!
She makes it seem like no one can survive without their superpower vampire boyfriend saving them from the evils that they have exposed them to.
Angela and Jessica are doing just fine without vampires.
As a matter of fact, they dont face near death experiences half as often as Bella does.
Also Bella is a raging idiot. You dont get accepted to Dartmouth and then go marry your vampire boyfriend!
You just dont!
Maybe if you got accepted to some community college, well then okay you go marry your vampire BF.
It'll be a hall of a lot more exciting.

Its nice that Bella waited until she married Edward before she had sex...but that wasnt even her idea.
If you remember in Eclipse Bella damn near raped the guy!

I just hate Bella.

Edward sucks too.

but not as bad.

Bella sucks.

I like Twilight.

Ditto.
But the writing, if you dissect it thoroughly, really suckz..

I wish the movie would've had more of the Cullens in it!

i liked the movie. XD it was funny ...
i don't think the writing REALLY sucks. i've read way worse. and even though the writing isn't spectacular, the story is really good.

The movie was funny...

Well, when you put it like that, then the books lose the glory I give them. Then again, I'm a teenage girl who's an idiot for romance. I think that the writing was good. And I can relate to Bella, but not just because we're clumsy to the point of disability. I've been in her situation, the living in the cold, going to Arizona, and coming back. The time increments aren't anywhere near similar, but it still happened. And of course I didn't come here and fall in love with a vampire and become best friends with a werewolf, but her personality and outlook on things in general mirrors my own.

Not, I am no longer a teen... but I KNOW that when I was a teen I would've loved these books (I love them as an adult as well). I saw that New Moon is going to have a totally different director so I wonder what it is going to be like?

I'm not sure, but I've seen a couple of items from this new director. I like him. I think it will stay true to the story line.

I definitely would have loved the books as a teenager and I think that was the part of me that gobbled these books up in days. However, I thought more about them now then I would have when I was a teenager. I don't think the subject of Bella as a role model would have been a consideration then. I would have seen Bella as a girl like me, who was in "love" with a boy that was totally wrong for her.

I had a discussion with a group of freshmen girls about this book and the whole Jacob/Edward debate. As an adult I felt Jacob was the better choice for her, but I completely understand why every girl wanted her to end up with Edward.

I think that is one good thing about the books is that no matter what age you are, there is something that can be taken away from it.

You see, common sense leads me both in favor of Jake, but not at the same time. He is obviously the safer choice, but what about that matter of imprinting? If she had gotten with Jake, who would if have been?

But my teenage fangirl-ness leads me to the obvious favor of Edward... for Bella, anyway. I can and cannot understand why everyone wants Edward for themselves, I just am not one of those people.

Hmm.. you raise a good point. I hadn't really thought about the imprinting part, just that clearly he was in love with her. The imprinting thing got a little too weird for me in the end though.. For me, Jacob was of course safer, but also a more developed relationship.

I do think that for many, Edward was the perfect choice, to fulfill the fantasy of ending up with your first love. It's kind of like how my students wanted to see Romeo and Juliet make it, even though they knew how doomed they were.

In my opinion, Edward and Bella's story is much more interesting and complex than that of Romeo and Juliet, but I can see the connections.

Everyone that has read the book at my school knew that they had to end up having a happily ever after, even the ones on Team Jacob, albeit grudgingly.

The fantasy of living life with your first love... Yes, I can see where that comes in. Though Bella annoys me here. Her first love is a vampire who has to fight himself not to kill her. Has she no sense of self preservation?

It's definitely a more complex relationship than that of Romeo and Juliet, I just thought it was funny that though they knew they both died, when I put on the modern movie and she opened her eyes before he took the poison, everyone reacted. It was as if they thought there could have been a happy ending. I think Meyers was definitely trying to use it as a comparison too thougn, if I remember correctly, Bella was reading the play when she and Edward were first together. But that really is as far as the comparisons go. To be perfectly honest, I have come to be annoyed by the relationship in the play, at least I understand some of Bella's mentality, well except for the vampire part :)

lol, yes. I've only read it once, and I found that Romeo was overly... whiney, to put it frankly. Either he was gushy, or he was whiney, or he jumped to conclusions, which Edward kind of is, but he is also more.

Yes Jacob was the smarter choice... but Edward is just that guy. He almost seems the bad boy type and everyone falls for a bad guy at least one.

Definitely, that's what I was trying to tell my students.. looking back, if I had ended up with my Edward, it could have been disastrous... so I understand both positions, and why it needed to be Edward for her.

Not sure if anyone knew anything about this, but for a while there they were not going to bring back the same actor to play Jacob in New Moon, but looks like they just reached a decision:
January 7, 2009
Good news about New Moon from director Chris Weitz:
I'm very happy to announce that Taylor Lautner will be playing Jacob Black in New Moon and that he's doing so with the enthusiastic support of Summit Entertainment, the producers, and Stephenie Meyer.
The characters in Stephenie's books go through extraordinary changes of circumstance and also appearance; so it is not surprising that there has been speculation about whether the same actor would portray a character who changes in so many surprising ways throughout the series. But it was my first instinct that Taylor was, is, and should be Jacob, and that the books would be best served by the actor who is emotionally right for the part. I think that fans of Twilight the book and the movie will be surprised by the Jacob Black that Taylor will bring to the screen in New Moon; and I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the cast in realizing the film.
very best
Chris Weitz
I'd just like to add that I was very much a part of this decision. My first priority was always what was best for New Moon—what was going to give us the best possible movie. I'm truly thrilled that Taylor was the one who proved to the director, to Summit, and to me that he is the best possible Jacob we could have. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he's going to bring to Jacob's character this year.
- Steph

I've heard about that and I'm kind of disappointed because I don't really like Taylor Lautner (haven't seen the movie yet though) but if they'll change his appearance etc. in connection with the changes he goes through in the story maybe I'll be surprised.

I guess they were saying that Taylor was too baby face to be a werewolf.

Hahaha ;D Make up can do a lotta work though I guess. Do they start shooting soon? If not he might still loose some of it anyway.

Angie wrote: "Thought we could start a thread on Twilight. This thread will have spoilers for all 4 books, you are warned!

Personally I hated how the series ended. What about everyone else? "

Personally, I hated the series. Hahaha- okay well that is not fair. I liked the first book. Despised the second...and could not even bring myself to finish the rest. It's quite rare that I do not finish a series but I feel as though she plugged the other books, just because she felt like it- not because there was anything left to say. Alas, Im sure many would disagree with me :P

I thought the third book was worth the read... the 4th book skip it! YUCK!

Angie wrote: "I thought the third book was worth the read... the 4th book skip it! YUCK! "

Hahaha, so I've heard! I know the plot details and thought that to myself.