GENRE:
Fantasy
Title: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Bibliographic Information:
Published September, 2006
Little, Brown and Company
Grade Range: 6 and up, Age Range: 11 and up
ISBN: 978-0-316-16019
Young Adult Fiction,
Awards:
The Children’s Book Choice Awards gave Stephenie Meyer the Author of the Year award for 2009.
Reader’s Annotation:
When the Cullens leave Forks, Bella finds herself depressed and lost, but she finds comfort in her friend Jacob Black until he gets involved with a “cult” of undesirable beings.
Plot Summary:
When the Cullens, including the beautiful Edward, decide to leave Forks, Bella’s world is turned upside down and she spirals into a deep and lonely depression. She reconnects with Jacob Black, and she begins to return to a normal life. When strange things begin to happen to Jacob, he shuts Bella out, which makes her partially revert to feelings of despair. She then discovers that Jacob is a werewolf, the “mortal enemy” of the vampire. She soon gets over the shock, and Jacob’s pack accepts her as a part of the family. Through a series of coincidental events, Edward believes that Bella committed suicide, and he decides to go to Italy and visit the Volturi, an ancient and powerful vampire family. Edward asks the Volturi to kill him because he feels responsible for Bella’s death, and he doesn’t want to live without her. When the Volturi refuse, Edward decides to go out in public and reveal that he is a vampire, which would force the Volturi to exterminate him. Bella learns of this and immediately flies to Italy to show Edward that she really is alive.
Critical Evaluation:
Meyer once again captured the hearts of millions of teenage girls with another beautiful lead male in the form of a werewolf, but failed to really connect to any larger purpose or theme. New Moon felt like a useless continuation of the successful Twilight, which at least offered a new twist on an old concept. New Moon lacked originality, and relied on preexisting ideas to formulate the erratic plot. Fortunately for Meyer, Twilight fans genuinely enjoyed the strange plot, making it undeniably successful. Frankly, the movie was better!
Reading level/Interest Age:
Although the reading level is that of a 6th grader, I feel that this book would be more appropriate for ages 14 and up, due to its subject of teenage love, which a younger audience may find offensive or embarrassing. This book is mostly loved by teenage girls, although some boys may find its genre appealing.
Information about the Author:
Stephenie Meyer lives in Arizona with her husband and her three sons. She graduated with a degree in English literature from Brigham Young University. The idea for Twilight came to her in a dream, and wanted to write about Edward and Bella just to see how their story would pan out, never intending to write a novel. Meyer has written four other published books, three being part of the “Twilight Saga”, and one called The Host, a science fiction novel about a complicated love triangle.
Curriculum Ties:
None.
Challenge Issues:
When the Cullens leave Forks, Bella finds herself depressed and lost, but she finds comfort in her friend Jacob Black until he gets involved with a “cult” of undesirable beings.
Plot Summary:
When the Cullens, including the beautiful Edward, decide to leave Forks, Bella’s world is turned upside down and she spirals into a deep and lonely depression. She reconnects with Jacob Black, and she begins to return to a normal life. When strange things begin to happen to Jacob, he shuts Bella out, which makes her partially revert to feelings of despair. She then discovers that Jacob is a werewolf, the “mortal enemy” of the vampire. She soon gets over the shock, and Jacob’s pack accepts her as a part of the family. Through a series of coincidental events, Edward believes that Bella committed suicide, and he decides to go to Italy and visit the Volturi, an ancient and powerful vampire family. Edward asks the Volturi to kill him because he feels responsible for Bella’s death, and he doesn’t want to live without her. When the Volturi refuse, Edward decides to go out in public and reveal that he is a vampire, which would force the Volturi to exterminate him. Bella learns of this and immediately flies to Italy to show Edward that she really is alive.
Critical Evaluation:
Meyer once again captured the hearts of millions of teenage girls with another beautiful lead male in the form of a werewolf, but failed to really connect to any larger purpose or theme. New Moon felt like a useless continuation of the successful Twilight, which at least offered a new twist on an old concept. New Moon lacked originality, and relied on preexisting ideas to formulate the erratic plot. Fortunately for Meyer, Twilight fans genuinely enjoyed the strange plot, making it undeniably successful. Frankly, the movie was better!
Reading level/Interest Age:
Although the reading level is that of a 6th grader, I feel that this book would be more appropriate for ages 14 and up, due to its subject of teenage love, which a younger audience may find offensive or embarrassing. This book is mostly loved by teenage girls, although some boys may find its genre appealing.
Information about the Author:
Stephenie Meyer lives in Arizona with her husband and her three sons. She graduated with a degree in English literature from Brigham Young University. The idea for Twilight came to her in a dream, and wanted to write about Edward and Bella just to see how their story would pan out, never intending to write a novel. Meyer has written four other published books, three being part of the “Twilight Saga”, and one called The Host, a science fiction novel about a complicated love triangle.
Curriculum Ties:
None.
Challenge Issues:
Religious—some groups object to the mythology of vampires. Remind them it is a part of gothic literature, an important, widely studied and relevant form. Not everyone share the same religious views, and libraries must offer a wide variety of titles. Don’t like it? Don’t let your teens read it—but don’t tell everyone else what to do!
Why I Included This Book:
Why I Included This Book:
My daughter once again convinced me to read a Twilight Saga book, reasoning that it is a wonderful continuation of the first book. Although I completely disagree with my daughter’s opinion, I can appreciate the appeal to younger readers. I find the author’s style quite boring. It is not literature however—it’s just a fun beach read for kids. So teens everywhere—enjoy, and allow me a different opinion. There’s room for everyone in the world of books!
Cover image courtesy of:
http://twilightindo.ning.com/photo/2153200:Photo:48?context=user
Cover image courtesy of:
http://twilightindo.ning.com/photo/2153200:Photo:48?context=user
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