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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