New Moon by Stephenie Meyer


Meyer, S. (2007). New Moon. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN-13: 978-0316075633

Genre: Romance, Vampires, Werewolves

Reading level/ interest age: 14+

Plot summary:

After a bad confrontation with his family, Edward decides it would be best to break up with Bella. He leaves her in the middle of the woods and, broken hearted, she lays down where she is and ends up having to be rescued by a local Native American tribe. Months pass by with Bella refusing to leave the house except to go to school. Her father finally threatens to send Bella back to Phoenix to live with her mother. Shocked out of her catatonic state, Bella hatches a plan to appease her father and appear more normal.

Jacob Black, a member of the local Native American tribe, is surprised to receive a call from Bella. They used to be good childhood friends but had lost touch when her parents divorced. Together, they plan to restore a pair of motorcycles. However, fate has a different design. Jacob starts becoming distant and secretive which causes Bella to start shutting out the world again. Eventually, Bella learns that there is a lot more to Jacob's tribe than what meets the eye.

Reader’s annotation:

When Edward breaks up with Bella, she might decide werewolves make better boyfriends.

Information about the author:

“Stephenie Meyer's life changed dramatically on June 2, 2003. The stay-at-home mother of three young sons woke up from a dream featuring seemingly real characters that she could not get out of her head.

"‘Though I had a million things to do, I stayed in bed, thinking about the dream. Unwillingly, I eventually got up and did the immediate necessities, and then put everything that I possibly could on the back burner and sat down at the computer to write—something I hadn't done in so long that I wondered why I was bothering.’

“Meyer invented the plot during the day through swim lessons and potty training, and wrote it out late at night when the house was quiet. Three months later she finished her first novel, Twilight. With encouragement from her older sister (the only other person who knew she had written a book), Meyer submitted her manuscript to various literary agencies. Twilight was picked out of a slush pile at Writer's House and eventually made its way to the publishing company Little, Brown where everyone fell immediately in love with the gripping, star-crossed lovers….

“Stephenie lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons” (Stepheniemeyer.com, 2014).

Curriculum ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas:

1.       Do you think Bella should have sought mental help with her breakup issues?
2.       Why do you think Jacob never realized Bella was just using him?

Critical evaluation:

Though this series receives its fair share of flack, it can actually be a joyful secret to delight in. The writing is easy to read and, despite having been criticized for being juvenile, the book was meant for a younger audience. The romance theme from the first book is carried easily over to this sequel. Readers of the first novel can continue reading Bella’s inner thoughts. The book does follow a very teenage script and, like most teens, Bella’s character is prone to overreact. Both Bella and Jacob have to battle their immaturity to have a more adult relationship which makes their connection to one another a good role model. However, the tone of the book is both moody and dark. Bella’s character clearly needed mental help that her father overlooked and Jacob ignored. Bella is also prone to act out recklessly to get attention which is somewhat of a hallmark of teen behavior. Overall, teens should enjoy this sequel to the much loved saga but should be wary of their favorite character’s faults.  

Challenge issues: N/A

Why included:

New Moon would be good for reluctant readers and could introduce them to the genres of fantasy and romance.

Reference:

Stepheniemeyer.com. (2014). Bio. Retrieved August 22, 2014 from
http://stepheniemeyer.com/bio.html

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