Twilight

Caitlin forced me to take a quiz on the film 'Twilight' this afternoon, out of her teenager magazine. I would have done anything to cheer her up as she was less than happy about her latest haircut. Turns out I know quite a lot about the Cullens and Quileute. Probably helps that I am in the middle of the fourth book. I got A+ and would have got full marks if only I knew about the music in the film. Well I knew about Debussy's Clair du Lune but not the modern stuff!

This series really is a phenomenon, almost as big as Harry Potter, and it has certainly gripped the teenage girl demographic. Caitlin and her friends are lapping it up, though my feeling is they have little understanding of the nuances of the story. The fourth book involves the wedding, honeymoon, pregnancy and doubtless 'death' of the heroine. Whilst there are no graphic details, I am not at all sure this is what my 11 year old should be reading!

It does make a change from all the stereotypical vampire and werewolf stories. Sparkly vampires and loyal werewolves are a completely new genre, even taking Buffy and Angel into the equation. The teenage angst of new school, new friends, hormones, love and the complication of relationships is handled in an accessible way, making it not unlike Buffy in its tone. That's probably why is appeals to this age group. It is very easy to read, or should I say gloss over !

I was pleasantly surprised at the cinema adaptation. It was incredibly true to the book; I suppose it had to be or there would have been hormonal complaints all over the place! There are some truly gorgeous people in the film, Edward, Jacob and Alice in particular. I have to pretend to prefer the older vampire 'Carlisle' although I think the werewolf will ultimately be the favourite.