New Moon

Meyer, Stephanie (2006). New York, Little, Brown, and Co. ISBN-10: 0316160199
ISBN-13: 978-0316160193

Plot
The sequel starts with Bella’s birthday celebration at the Cullen’s house. During the party she cuts her arm, the vampire family can barely restrain their appetite for a slice of the birthday guest, and Edward realizes Bella will never be safe with him and his family. He and the Cullens disappear from Forks and Bella goes into months of depression, shown in the novel by blank papges in the narrative. Gradually her growing friendship with the warm-blooded and cheerful Jacob, who loves her desperately, and a new interest in risky behavior such as motorcycle racing, begin to bring her back to life. Jacob turns out to be, as had clearly been hinted, a shapeshifter/werewolf , but he’s still just a friend to Bella. There is some Romeo and Juliet-style miscommunication; Edward believes Bella is dead, so he goes off to Italy to provoke some old Italian vampires, because that’s one of the few ways he can die. Bella and Alice, the psychic younger vampire sister, have to fly off to Italy (No, in a plane) to rescue him. The book ends with the family voting down Bella’s desire to become a vampire—for now and she and Edward are reunited, but what about for eternity?

Reader’s Annotation
In this sequel to teen lit phenomenon Twilight, the course of human/vampire love does not run smooth. Edward and Bella are separated for most of the book, leaving Bella to battle her crushing depression through friendship with Jacob, a warm-blooded Indian boy who is more than he appears to be.

Critique
The Twilight books can’t be reviewed simply as literature. These books clearly fill a deep need in the psyche of many teen girls. These readers are the experts on what they want from Edward and Bella, and what is heard from them is that this book is torture—too much waiting; too much separation; too little Edward. The occasional fan of the more earthy Jacob will appear, but on the whole he does not give the girls what they want. Thinking back to Ann Rice’s comment about Twilight, that the vampire represents the desire of young girls for the protection of an older man, clearly, Jake is just a boy—Bella often feels protective of him herself. As a novel, without that compelling romantic narrative to pull a reader through its almost 600 pages, it’s torture.

About the author
Stephanie Meyer is now on Forbes list of the 100 most powerful celebrities. Her income is over 50 million dollars a year; her husband has retired to take care of the children.

Genre
Romance/fantasy

Curriculum Ties
Recreational

Booktalking Ideas
Advantages/disadvantages of becoming a vampire: would you if you could?
Compare the book and the movie.
What makes Edward so attractive to teen girls?

Reading Level/Interest Age
9th grade and up

Challenge Issues
Supernatural/religious
Be knowledgeable about the book and prepared to discuss it calmly. Provide complaint form per board policy; list
reviews linked to http://www.amazon.com/New-Moon-Twilight-Saga-Book/dp/0316160199; gather student responses

Why Included?
Sequel to incredibly popular Twilight

Selection Tools
Inescapable student recommendation