I have read bits of the various Twilight books, and personally I am against them. For one thing, the writing is terrible! Also, I can’t help but notice some moral problems, like a lot of “making out” despite the book’s supposed chastity, or a very weird view of sex conveyed in the fourth book.
The real thing that warns me away from these books, though, is the reaction they inspire in the preteen girls who read them. I am a teacher, and it was strange to see the effects of the books on girls, especially junior high girls. They become obsessed, and take Edward as their ideal man. The problem is, Bella and Edward have a very unhealthy relationship, where he is oddly protective and she is extremely obsessed with him. Girls take models for their own relationships from the books they read, and I can say that I would be very upset if a daughter of mine were in a relationship anything like Bella and Edward’s.
Just one person’s opinion, but I would warn against letting children and teenagers read them. I would suggest Robin McKinley’s books (which are fantasy/fairy tales) or, as suggested before, Regina Doman’s books.
Like I said earlier, ALL teenagers (generally speaking–of course there are exceptions, but they are not the norm) become obsessed with something or someone. It’s part of being a a teenager.
For many teens, it’s a “teen idol,” usually a musician, actor, or someone in show business. When I was growing up, it was David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, Sajid Kahn, and my fave, Jonathan Frid. When my daughters were growing up, it was Michael Jackson, In Sync, Menudo (yechh!), Hanson, etc. When my MOTHER was growing up, it was Frank Sinatra, Elvis, etc. (My mother was in love with Gregory Peck, and named my brother after him.) When my grandma was growing up, it was Rudolf Valentino and Errol Flynn.
Other teens become obssessed with an athlete–for my husband, DOROTHY HAMILL! A lot of girls loved Dorothy, too. My husband’s ice dance partner said that her sister was so obsessed by Dorothy that she not only cut her hair ala Dorothy, but she brought her ice skates to summer camp, even though she really wasn’t into ice skating herself–she just wanted to be like Dorothy!
Some teens become obsessed with gaming, or vampires, or goth, or CARS, or music, or the theater (the so-called "Acting Bug), or the environment, or fitness, or poetry, or journaling, or even church and faith.
I was into Jonathan Frid and Dark Shadows, horror stories especially vampire stories, anthropology, Africa, blood diseases (fascinated by hematology–today, it’s the one department in the lab that I hate the most!), ferns, Coke and Pepsi (which is one reason I have a hard time giving it up–I associate it with my happy teen years), helping black people escape from the ghetto, poetry, World War II (I read Mein Kampf in 8th grade and devoured that special, The World at War that was shown on late night network TV, also loved Hogan’s Heroes), Shakespeare…etc. etc.
And when I was into something, I was into it repeatedly–I saw certain movies over and over and OVER again, and I read certain books repeatedly. My room was filled with pictures of ferns and Africa and I copied poetry and kept a notebook, which I still have today. I memorized several famous passages from Shakespearean plays. I wrote a vampire screenplay when I was 15.
It’s just normal. When I grew up, it all passed. Today, I am still interested in some of the above, but I am no longer obsessed.
It all passes. It’s just being a teenager. Grownups, don’t “obsess” about it! Relax and let teens enjoy being teens. It all goes so fast.
In all seriousness, I looked at the first book but put it down after the first page, the writing was really bad.
