Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1 - Stephenie Meyer

Overlong but engrossing popular vampire romance.

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Common Sense rates it
3
Read the book?
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Book details
  • Author:Stephenie Meyer
  • # of pages: 498
  • Publisher:Little, Brown & Co.
  • Original Publication Date: 10/01/2005
  • Genre: Fiction - Fantasy
  • Hardcover: $17.99
  • Paperback: $8.99
  • Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 12
  • Read Aloud: 13
  • Read Alone: 13
  • ISBN: 9780316160179

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that, while very mild by the standards of its genre, this is a vampire romance, so there is talk about blood and romantic kissing, as well as one battle with bloody injuries.

Families can talk about the view of vampirism here. It sounds like a one-way ticket to superhero powers -- what's the downside? Why is Edward reluctant to let Bella become one? Why, aside from her love for Edward, might Bella want it?

Message

Social Behavior:

Consumerism:

Car brands, OTC drugs, soft drinks.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Bella uses cold medication as a sleep aid.

Violence

A brutal, bloody battle, and hints about others. And it's about vampires, after all.

Sex

Some passionate kissing.

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Matt Berman

When her mother gets remarried, Bella moves in with her father, Charlie, who lives in a small town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, where it rains nearly all the time. There she meets Edward, a strange and gorgeous boy from a strange and gorgeous family, and soon she has fallen madly in love with him.

She also discovers that he and his family are vampires, and this bothers her not at all. It bothers Edward, though; even though they had long ago sworn off human blood in favor of animal predators, he still worries for her safety, both with him and with his family, who control their lust for human blood only by willpower.

Is it any good?

3
This is the downside to Harry Potter. Before J. K. Rowling smashed the page limits to smithereens, no publisher in their right mind would have allowed this book to be nearly 500 pages. It would have been cut down substantially, and it would have been a better story for it.

This incredibly long book is really two books. The first two-thirds is a fairly engrossing, if not terribly imaginative, vampire romance, with lots of smoldering eyes, palpitating hearts, mood swings, and a nice touch of fantasy. Then in the final third it turns into an action-thriller, as another vampire sets his sights on Bella.

Despite its length it is very readable, though it's all too easy to read a hundred pages, enjoy it, and then not be able to remember anything that actually happened. The vampires are not only presented sympathetically, but with their amazing superhero-ish powers, spectacular looks, and hipster style, they make vampirism seem like a sensible and appealing lifestyle choice -- though they would certainly fit in better in Soho than in Forks, WA. Still, it's mostly good fun, and passes the time pleasantly.

Related Video

Other choices

Sequels:
New Moon
Eclipse

More Teen Vampires:
Thirsty by M. T. Anderson
A Living Nightmare: Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan, Book 1 by Darren Shan
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Related Web Sites:
Author's site
Official site

Parents and kids say

All Reviews

There are 189 reviews.

3


Posted on 01/05/09 by JulieKryger1970 Adult contributor
4


Posted on 01/04/09 by Justonereview Kid contributor, age 13

Unexpected

The good thing about this book is that the beginning isn't boring like alot of books I read. It catches you right from the start and is never boring. When I first heard of this book (I read it because since it became a movie) I didn't think I'd like it because it's a romance but it turned out to be really good. A Must Read.
3


Posted on 01/02/09 by coolmom26 Adult contributor

An interesting read but not the greatest writing.

Meyer (the author) seems to be a good storyteller but she seems a little iffy on the writing side. Overall this was an interesting read for about 9-year old's and up because of the difficulty of perception of story and/or difficult word comprehension, not due to maturity issues. Lastly, from what I've read, this book seems more towards females than males though it I'm sure it would be enjoyed by everyone.
5


Posted on 01/01/09 by MikaylaLovesEdwardCullen Kid contributor, age 14

What is up with common sense saying it is too long? All of the twilight books are long, but after you read them, you will wish that they were longer. And it deserves way more than three stars. More like 507 if you ask me (or any sane person who has read the books).
5


Posted on 12/29/08 by spanishbarmoon Kid contributor, age 11

I'm In Love With Edward!!!!

this book is soo wonderful. at the beginning it's semi- boring but then it gets better and better! I couldn't put the book down! The worst is they kiss.... It describes it but it's only as sexual as you think it is. Edward... Oh, he's like the perfect boyfriend ever! I love his character! I wish he were real! And bella is like the perfect small town girl.... I wish i were like her.. Well I'm in love with twilight, and everyone should read it... PARENTS: if you have a child under ten, or that you suppose is too long: read the book first! Thank you, TwilightLover a.k.a. spanishbarmoon
5


Posted on 12/28/08 by Spova Lover Kid contributor, age 13

Best freakin book i have ever read

This book is so,so,so, OMG! Iwanted to read this book all in one day and i almost did, but i wanted to save the pure awesomest for tomorrow and today is tomorrow and i finished the book and read the first 3 chapters of New Moon. This book is as good as it gets. Do you want to read something different from the cool magic of Harry Potter (i am also a big harry potter fan) then this is the book you have you read. My mom finally let me read it and i got it for christmas. but it was so good i stayed up till 1 reading. read this book and i really think you will like it! You can refer to me as Spova Lover.
5


Posted on 12/23/08 by twilightluver11 Kid contributor, age 11

Read it!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG HEY GUYS! I JUST WANTED TO SAY TWILIGHT IS A VERY GOOD BOOK! (SO FAR) I HAVE ONLY READ TO PG:38 AND CHAP: 4 BUT I HAVE HEARD THIS BOOK IS VERY COOL! ROMANCE, VAMPIRES, ROMANCE, DID I MENTION ROMANCE???? LOL BUT READ THIS BOOK... I AM ONLY 11 BUT MY PARENTS LET ME READ THIS BECAUSE THEY DON'T MIND ME LEARNING HARDER WORDS SO... UMM YA! LOL I JUST LOVE TWILIGHT SO FAR!!! I'M GONNA TRY TO FINISH IT BY THE TIME MY WINTER BREAK IS OVER! I AM IN 5TH GRADE MY NAME IS MIKAELA AND THANKS FOR READING THIS REVIEW!!! BYE! (TWILIGHT ROCKS!!!!!!!!)
3


Posted on 12/22/08 by Artsy Kid contributor, age 12

Overall a very god book.

I like this book. I thought it was a sweet, romantic fantasy adventure. But there is too much fuss over the book and movie.
5


Posted on 12/21/08 by SCT08 Kid contributor, age 12

I'm In Love With Edward

I absolutely loved this book, I dont know anyone who hates it. A mentaly exhilarating book. The best book I've ever read I would give 100 stars if i could but sadly I can only give it 5! I say it's a must read for anyone 10+!
4

Posted on 12/20/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 16

OMW! I LOVE it!!!

I thought that this book is the best book that I've evr read in my life....I'm usually a very slow reader and it's hard for me to really sink into a book and want to finish it as soon as possible! But I finished this book in 1 day! I could not, and would not put the book down unless I absolutlely had to! Lol....I def recommend reading this book....It has alot of ramantic stuff in it so I mean if your not into that I wouldn't recommend you reading it...BUT it also has alot of action, and humor so it's pretty well balanced. I say anyone say 12 and up, it would be appropriate for. But it does depend on your parents of course! But if they are okay with it! Read this book! You won't regret it! I can't wait to read the rest and see the movie!!! :-)

See all 189 reviews >

Adult Reviews

There are 50 reviews.

3


Posted on 01/05/09 by JulieKryger1970 Adult contributor
3


Posted on 01/02/09 by coolmom26 Adult contributor

An interesting read but not the greatest writing.

Meyer (the author) seems to be a good storyteller but she seems a little iffy on the writing side. Overall this was an interesting read for about 9-year old's and up because of the difficulty of perception of story and/or difficult word comprehension, not due to maturity issues. Lastly, from what I've read, this book seems more towards females than males though it I'm sure it would be enjoyed by everyone.
5


Posted on 12/09/08 by mdo556 Adult contributor

It was a wonderfull book!

It was a good book that I have read in a LONG time. This book is one of those books that is either you LOVE it or you HATE it. I have found out that many people dislike it. I was looking for a book to read in my free time my friend told me about it and I finished it in less than 5 days. The begining I must say doesnt get you hooked but the middle-end is wonderfull. It is good for ages 9+ I think.
4


Posted on 11/23/08 by Bibliomaniac Mom Adult contributor

An Exciting Read

I dont believe in banning books. I also don't believe in giving children more than they can handle. I enjoyed this book very much. From the start, I did my best to read this story from my 11 and 12 year old daughters' perspectives. They are avid readers, and had asked me to purchase the books for them. I had heard about some more mature content, and so I decided to read them first and then discuss the books together before they read them. I could see how a young girl can get very caught up in Edward. Even as an adult I adored him! The fact that Bella is fairly independent was a positive, but there were two points that bothered me; Bella does become completely wrapped up in Edward, she depends on him to rescue her from her clumsiness as well as her humanity on a reguar basis, and is this what a healthy relationship looks like? The other point is that Bella constantly lies to her parents. She calls her mom her best friend, yet refuses to be honest with her. All through the book Bella is extremely dishonest. In all reality, it is healthy for a teenage girl to have her own life and identity apart from her parents. However, constant lying and dishonesty to parents and friends is probably not the best example I can think of for my girls. However, it did give us a good springboard for discussion of what a healthy relationship should look like. This book has given us more opportunities for frank and open discussions, so for that I am grateful!
5


Posted on 11/23/08 by Phluttichote Adult contributor

Twilight

This book is very interesting and it hooks you and grabs you and makes you want to read the next in the series. A very fun read and I am so glad I have 3 more to read. The only down side was in the beginning...I thought Bella was way too angry a teenager...but heck it has been so long since my girls were teenagers, maybe that is the way they are these days http://astore.amazon.com/booksynopsis-20/
5

Posted on 11/20/08 by Anonymous Adult contributor

Can't wait until my kids are old enough to read ALL of them.

Book one was great! My nieces and my 10 year old daughter raced to see who could finish it. They loved it so much I had to see for myself. I finished all four books in about a week and a half. (a huge task considering I am a full time mom, wife, PTA member, and I have a 5 hour a day job outside the home) That is how much I loved them. However, I decided that my 10 year old daughter was not ready for book 3 and definitely not book 4. They were just a little too mature for her despite her being very grown up. A word of advice to other moms out there-Read the books first to decide if your kids are ready for the content.
5


Posted on 11/19/08 by Irockurboots Adult contributor

Amazing Book!

Twilight is my all time favorite book. It was an awesome book, and I was hooked immediately, and read it in one day, as well as the others.:)
5


Posted on 11/19/08 by Kute_Kid_Extraordinaire Adult contributor

I Was Hooked!

I love this book! and I disagree with all of the harsh criticisms given by some of these people. I feel that this book was a very exceptional piece by Stephanie Meyer. It is loaded with tons of literary devices and extraordinary diction choices. It takes you to another world with vampires and werewolves.
1


Posted on 11/17/08 by alyssadara Adult contributor

Eh...not even worth the time I wasted reading it.

This book is absolute garbage; how it ever got published is beyond me. It read like a teenage fan-fic and the first 3/4 of it almost put me to sleep. It's amazing how anyone could have liked this book; to me it was utter slop. Young readers should be setting their eyes on better reads than this. All in all, don't waste your time or money. There's better out there.
5


Posted on 11/16/08 by Cadette Girl Scout Leader Adult contributor

Finally, a book my daughter loved

As a mother to a 6th grader, and an avid reader myself, I was thrilled when my daughter came home with Twilight and could not put it down. I had heard about it being a great book for middle-schoolers and was fine with it, until one of the parents of a girl in my girl scout troop told me he was not going to allow his daughter to read it. At that point, I decided I better read it before allowing my daughter to read the rest of the series. I am so glad that I did...this book is fantastic. The storyline and imagery are every teenage girl's fantasy romance (and it's just that, a fantasy). Of course there are vampires, blood, and sensuality, but it not above what any child could watch during an afternoon anime cartoon on TV. If you are concerned with allowing your middle-schooler to read the book, I highly recommend that you read it yourself and not base your decision on others' input because the majority of adults speaking have not read the book. Judge for yourself...because I did and have decided it's okay for her to read, my daughter is now sitting in the living reading 2 chapters of Ecclipse (the 3rd book in the series) rather than watching TV before going to bed.
See all 50 adult reviews>

Kids Reviews

There are 139 reviews.

4


Posted on 01/04/09 by Justonereview Kid contributor, age 13

Unexpected

The good thing about this book is that the beginning isn't boring like alot of books I read. It catches you right from the start and is never boring. When I first heard of this book (I read it because since it became a movie) I didn't think I'd like it because it's a romance but it turned out to be really good. A Must Read.
5


Posted on 01/01/09 by MikaylaLovesEdwardCullen Kid contributor, age 14

What is up with common sense saying it is too long? All of the twilight books are long, but after you read them, you will wish that they were longer. And it deserves way more than three stars. More like 507 if you ask me (or any sane person who has read the books).
5


Posted on 12/29/08 by spanishbarmoon Kid contributor, age 11

I'm In Love With Edward!!!!

this book is soo wonderful. at the beginning it's semi- boring but then it gets better and better! I couldn't put the book down! The worst is they kiss.... It describes it but it's only as sexual as you think it is. Edward... Oh, he's like the perfect boyfriend ever! I love his character! I wish he were real! And bella is like the perfect small town girl.... I wish i were like her.. Well I'm in love with twilight, and everyone should read it... PARENTS: if you have a child under ten, or that you suppose is too long: read the book first! Thank you, TwilightLover a.k.a. spanishbarmoon
5


Posted on 12/28/08 by Spova Lover Kid contributor, age 13

Best freakin book i have ever read

This book is so,so,so, OMG! Iwanted to read this book all in one day and i almost did, but i wanted to save the pure awesomest for tomorrow and today is tomorrow and i finished the book and read the first 3 chapters of New Moon. This book is as good as it gets. Do you want to read something different from the cool magic of Harry Potter (i am also a big harry potter fan) then this is the book you have you read. My mom finally let me read it and i got it for christmas. but it was so good i stayed up till 1 reading. read this book and i really think you will like it! You can refer to me as Spova Lover.
5


Posted on 12/23/08 by twilightluver11 Kid contributor, age 11

Read it!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG HEY GUYS! I JUST WANTED TO SAY TWILIGHT IS A VERY GOOD BOOK! (SO FAR) I HAVE ONLY READ TO PG:38 AND CHAP: 4 BUT I HAVE HEARD THIS BOOK IS VERY COOL! ROMANCE, VAMPIRES, ROMANCE, DID I MENTION ROMANCE???? LOL BUT READ THIS BOOK... I AM ONLY 11 BUT MY PARENTS LET ME READ THIS BECAUSE THEY DON'T MIND ME LEARNING HARDER WORDS SO... UMM YA! LOL I JUST LOVE TWILIGHT SO FAR!!! I'M GONNA TRY TO FINISH IT BY THE TIME MY WINTER BREAK IS OVER! I AM IN 5TH GRADE MY NAME IS MIKAELA AND THANKS FOR READING THIS REVIEW!!! BYE! (TWILIGHT ROCKS!!!!!!!!)
3


Posted on 12/22/08 by Artsy Kid contributor, age 12

Overall a very god book.

I like this book. I thought it was a sweet, romantic fantasy adventure. But there is too much fuss over the book and movie.
5


Posted on 12/21/08 by SCT08 Kid contributor, age 12

I'm In Love With Edward

I absolutely loved this book, I dont know anyone who hates it. A mentaly exhilarating book. The best book I've ever read I would give 100 stars if i could but sadly I can only give it 5! I say it's a must read for anyone 10+!
4

Posted on 12/20/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 16

OMW! I LOVE it!!!

I thought that this book is the best book that I've evr read in my life....I'm usually a very slow reader and it's hard for me to really sink into a book and want to finish it as soon as possible! But I finished this book in 1 day! I could not, and would not put the book down unless I absolutlely had to! Lol....I def recommend reading this book....It has alot of ramantic stuff in it so I mean if your not into that I wouldn't recommend you reading it...BUT it also has alot of action, and humor so it's pretty well balanced. I say anyone say 12 and up, it would be appropriate for. But it does depend on your parents of course! But if they are okay with it! Read this book! You won't regret it! I can't wait to read the rest and see the movie!!! :-)
1

Posted on 11/29/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 14

A very good book!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is my favorite out of the saga. Oddly enough my school library didnt get this book till they had all the others so this was the last one I read. Bella and Edwards relationsip in this book is alot less um... whats the right word....... I think deep..... maybe..... in this book. It is a very good book. P.S Dont read the first book last. Lol!!! :-)
3


Posted on 11/25/08 by dylank Kid contributor, age 14

sk8ter922

Dude you don't know how to spell if you talk like that I don't think you should be reading a mature book like this.
See all 139 kids reviews >
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