'Twilight' continues to hold teens' interest
It's not easy to find a teen with a book in hand, except when that book is assigned at school.
Unless, of course, it's one of the "Twilight" books, an extraordinarily popular series written by Stephenie Meyers that has been attracting teens since it was first published in 2005.
The "Twilight" books were the biggest selling novels of 2008, according to USA Today Best-Selling Books List. Meyer sold 22 million books in 2008, more than any other author, according to her publisher.
The books are about a teenage girl, Bella Swan, that falls in love with a teenage vampire, Edward Cullen. Throughout the story, the two struggle to keep their relationship together. The series falls into the genre of adventure, romance and fantasy.
In the first book, "Twilight", Bella moves with her father in Forks, Washington. Bella meets Edward Cullen and falls in love with him. In the next book, "New Moon", Edward ends his relationship with Bella and he and his family leave Forks. Bella becomes depressed and seeks comfort with her close friend, Jacob Black. While with him, she discovers he and his family are werewolves. In the end, Edward returns to Forks and tells Bella he only left to protect her. The Cullens agree that Bella must become a vampire.
In the next book in the series, "Eclipse", Bella gets engaged to Edward. Jacob becomes angered and runs away disappointed at Bella's decision to become a vampire. In the last book, "Breaking Dawn", Bella becomes pregnant and has a baby girl which they name Renesmee. At birth, Renesmee makes Bella really sick and Edward has to make her a vampire to save her life.
"Edward Cullen is the perfect boyfriend that every girl wants," said Vanessa Lara, a senior at Central Valley High. "It's no mystery why the girls are obsessed with the book."
Many teenagers like reading books they can relate to. Alyssa August, a junior at Johansen High, said, "It's suspenseful and involves characters I can relate to." Alyssa feels she can relate to Bella in many ways, for instance, the way she acts and handles things. Meyers has written books that have made the readers feel like they are part of the book.
Benji Garcia, a junior at Johansen High, said, "I haven't read them because they never really got my attention," he said. "I would only read them if someone really convinced me to."
On the other hand, Martin Muse-Amiel, a 2009 graduate of Johansen thinks the books are for both girls and boys. "I have read the entire series," he said. "My friend got me really interested in the series after reading 'New Moon'."
The popular books sparked Summit Entertainment to produce a movie, released last year.
The books have made a bigger impression on teens than the movie has. "The books let your mind explore much more about Bella and the Cullens and their feelings, unlike the movie which basically spoon feeds your imagination," said Hannah Goold, a junior at Johansen High.
There's no doubt this series has become popular among teens.
Ally Lichliter, a sophomore at Johansen High, said, "They make you laugh, cry, and the happiest person alive. I laughed when Bella was extremely clumsy and fell all the time and I cried when Edward left Bella. It made me feel the pain and love for him leaving.
"When a book does that to someone, you know it's great."
Edgar Sanchez is a junior at Johansen High School and a member of The Bee's Teens in the Newsroom journalism program.
This story was originally published June 24, 2009 at 6:26 PM with the headline "'Twilight' continues to hold teens' interest."