If you have a pre-teen, you might have heard them talk about the Twilight series of books by Stephenie Meyer. I was somewhat surprised to learn from my pre-teen (just turned 11 year old) that she'd read Twilight at school, when I had mentioned that I'd seen it on TV recently on a lazy Sunday afternoon. She also admitted that she'd seen the second movie at a friend's house, so I figured I should probably check them out since there were four books in the series. I liked the movie, and was interested to see how the series played out. After all, books are always way better than the movie. I'll try not to spoil the books too much.
In Twilight, Bella and Edward's relationship is just beginning to blossom. She realizes that he's a vampire, but doesn't care. She falls in love with him, and bravely faces a vampire foe (only to be nearly killed as a result). This book sets into motion events that will eventually come to fruition in Eclipse.
Mom's take: Having seen the movie and read the book myself, I wasn't overly concerned that my daughter had read/seen the movie. In fact, we watched it together after requesting the DVD from Netflix. There was some kissing, but nothing sexual.
Bella is soon turning 18 in Twilight: New Moon and starting her senior year in high school. When her birthday party thrown by Edward's family goes horribly awry, Edward makes a decision that devastates Bella. Bella eventually finds solace for her wounded soul by deepening her friendship with Jacob. Bella's reckless behavior results in a misunderstanding, one she is compelled to correct, and leads her to Italy where Edward is planning to expose himself as a vampire and force the Volturi (kind of like a vampire police force) to take him out. Bella races to save Edward before it's too late.
Mom's take: I liked Twilight: New Moon, though it was a little dark. Bella struggles hard with depression and you can really feel her pain. There was no sexual content (Jacob and Bella are just friends), and very little violence. I would let my pre-teen read this book and we did watch the movie together. This was when my daughter told me she was firmly on Team Jacob.
Twilight: Eclipse brings us to more mature content. Bella and Edward are back together and Bella must be turned into a vampire in the near future. She's grounded for life, making seeing Edward a bit difficult, though her dad is clearly on Team Jacob, wanting her to spend time with Jacob again. The vampiress who has an ax to grind reappears and there is some violence when the battle ensues. Though Bella is deeply committed to Edward, Jacob still pulls at her heart strings as she's unwilling to cut him out of her life, though he's a shape-shifting Wolf who hunts vampires (not a good combo considering she's dating one). The truce between the Cullens and the Wolves is strengthened by the events in this novel, since they must team up to fight a common foe.
Mom's take: Eclipse is getting more mature. In one scene, Charlie asks Bella if she's being careful, something my daughter misinterpreted (thankfully) as a reference to Bella's klutzy nature. Bella also pressures Edward to have sex, though he refuses her because he wants to wait until they marry (though Bella is a bit averse to marriage). There was some heavier kissing in this movie (and a scene involving a bed with Bella trying to convince Edward to make love to her). I did allow my daughter to watch the movie, though I'd caution parents with pre-teens who might find the content too mature. I covered her eyes and ears in a few places, but most of the movie was fine for her to watch. Since books are typically enjoyed on your own, I would have reservations about letting her read this one.
Twilight: Breaking Dawn is the final book in the series, and one that I definitely feel is too mature for a pre-teen. Bella and Edward do finally marry, and she convinces him to consummate the marriage. The movie does show some bed scenes, though nothing worse than you'd probably see in a soap opera. Bella goes to the beach wrapped in a towel and drops it to enter the water, going to Edward to officially start their honeymoon love-making, so you do see a little bit of skin, but again, nothing showing breasts. A few weeks into the honeymoon, Bella realizes she's pregnant and they rush back home to Carlisle because the baby is growing far more rapidly than a normal child. The child is a threat to the Volturi and they pay a visit. The survival of the Cullen clan hinges upon their ability to convince the Volturi that the baby isn't the threat that they perceive it to be.
Mom's take: Due to the sex in this movie, I refused to let our daughter watch it or allow her to finish reading it (my husband had gotten it on library loan for her Kindle and I did not renew it for her). Aside from the consummation of marriage, the transformation of the sweet girl, Bella, into a vampire might be too much for her. The scene created when the baby is born is gruesome in the movie and not much better in the book. The book is somewhat dark in its nature, with the contrast between the previous books being stark. The movie does portray Bella's illness with the baby in graphic images (her anorexic looking limbs and her sunken facial features). Bella also drinks blood and actually enjoys the taste. So whereas you knew at the beginning that Bella would eventually become a vampire, it might be just a little jolting for a pre-teen to actually read/see it on screen.
Bear in mind that Breaking Dawn is broken down into two movies, with part one now available on DVD and part two coming to theaters this November. Part one is up through to the point where Bella is turned.
What do you think about this topic? Do you read what your kids are wanting to read first? My daughter has expressed an interest in The Hunger Games and I suppose I'll be reading that series soon too.
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