Meyer, Stephenie.
NEW MOON
Boston : Little, Brown, 2006.
IL YA
ISBN 0316160199

(5 booktalks)

Bella has asked Edward for something he can not give her.  And now things are getting dangerous for Bella.  Edward is afraid to have her near his family.  It started at her birthday party when she cut herself on an envelope.  The scent of her blood drove them crazy and Edward realizes that it is not safe to have her around anymore.  So he and the Cullens leave Forks.  Now Bella is mourning her lost love.  She is practically catatonic.  Charlie is worried and Bella's friends have given up on her.  How long will she stay like this?  She is like a walking zombie.  But then she starts hanging around with Jacob.  She only wants to be with Jacob so she can find a way to be closer to Edward, but as the weeks go by, she finds that Jacob is becoming more important in her life.  But she also finds that even if Edward returns, the two boys could never be friends.

Booktalk #2

In this sequel to Twilight, Bella’s romance with the vampire Edward Cullen becomes more complicated when he abandons her for her own good. She yearns for his presence, and discovers that high risk activities give her an adrenaline rush that allows her to hear Edward’s distant but persistent warnings, and brings her out of her deep depression. Her friend Jacob rebuilds a motorcycle for her, teaches her to ride despite her recklessness and frequent injuries, and shows her the exciting dangers of cliff diving. The Cullen family has many enemies, and Bella’s familiarity with them endangers her, angers her father, and seems to drive Edward to self-destruction. The vampires (even though the Cullens feed only on non-human prey), are hunted in turn by their traditional enemies, Jacob’s kind. The ending is a disappointment only because the 3rd book in the trilogy is not immediately available. A tantalizing read for vampire romance fans!

Okay, so you've read Twilight. Edward is a vampire, he and Bella fall in love, she wants him to turn her into a vampire too, but of course he refuses. He doesn’t want to give her his curse. In New Moon, Edward and his family throw Bella a birthday party, she cuts herself (she's a klutz, remember) and all the vampires go crazy. So Edward leaves Forks, and Bella is very upset. Practically catatonic. A walking zombie. Her father's worried about her, of course, but then she starts hanging around with Jacob. Remember Jacob, he lives out on that reservation where the vampires never go? Bella and Jacob become really good friends… and maybe something more? But she also figures out the big secret that means Jacob and Edward can *never* be friends.

It’s true that this is a middle of the trilogy and it just doesn’t have the pure magic that Twilight has. Come on, isn't Edward just *perfect?* But it’s still a really good story and well worth reading if you want to hear more about Edward and Bella. Stay tuned for the end of the trilogy!

I hate birthdays. Especially now that I was turning eighteen and would officially be a year older than Edward. Edward who would be seventeen forever. Being a vampire and more or less immortal and all. Further, Edward completely refused to take the step to turn me into a vampire too, so we could spend the rest of our lives together.

Not that I could blame him, because while he was inhumanely beautiful, I was just ordinary in the looks department. I don't think my propensity to turn any activity into a life-threatening (for me) endeavor and a quick trip to the emergency room was a great help either.

They, Edward and his entire vampire family, insisted on throwing me a birthday party since none of them celebrated birthdays anymore; what's the point when you never grow old. But, of course, I blew it all by getting a paper cut and then landing in shattered crystals when Edward knocked me away from Jasper for whom the fresh blood had brought out his bloodlust. Only Edward with his love for me, and his father Carlisle, the oldest and most experienced, were able to completely resist and clear out the others.

Back at school the next week, I knew something was wrong. Finally, Edward took me into the woods at home and told me. They were going away. All of them, the entire family. They’d been here too long considering they never aged. Further, Edward was tired of pretending to be something he was not, i.e. human. I wasn't good for him.

He promised that it would be the last time I’d see him. It would be like I’d never existed. A clean break. And he was gone in that instant way that they all could move.

Love, life, meaning . . . it was all over for me.   (Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominees 2007-2008)

Booktalk #3

Bella, the human, and Edward, the vampire, return in this sequel about two young teenagers in love, well one is actually much younger than the other one.  All is well until Bella’s 18th birthday party at Edward’s house.  An innocent paper cut puts Bella in grave danger when various members of the Cullen family can barely resist their hunger at the smell of her blood.  After a quick family discussion, the Cullens leave town, afraid of endangering Edward's beloved, and Bella sinks into an overpowering depression. Bella is inconsolable until she discovers that reckless behavior allows her to hear Edward's warning voice in her head. To keep him close, she decides to live as dangerously as possible, acquiring two motorcycles and developing a close friendship with Jacob, an Indian from a nearby reservation. With out Edward to protect her, Bella fears for her safety from the remaining vampires who are on her trail.  She soon finds out that some members of Jacob’s tribe become werewolves in the presence of vampires, their natural enemies. While Bella and Jacob are avoiding the bad vampires, Alice Cullen, Edward’s sister, sees a vision of Bella cliff diving and mistakes it for suicide. Edward in distress over his sister’s interpretation of the vision, and Bella’s death, heads to the all-powerful Volturi vampires in Italy, where he seeks his own death.  Alice meanwhile finds Bella alive, and they rush to Italy hoping to arrive in time to save Edward. Will they arrive in time and will Bella remain human?  The first question is answered but Stephanie Meyer leaves the second answer to be found in her third novel, Eclipse.  (Mary M. Silgals, Trident Academy, for South Carolina Young Adult Book Awards, 2008-2009)

Booktalk #4

Bella is madly in love with her boyfriend Edward Cullen, (a vampire) but when he leaves her and tells her he does'nt love her anymore she is devastated. She goes into a state where she does'nt care about anything! But she finds another companion Jacob  Black (a werewolf) but will he be enough to cure her seemingly everlasting sadness...  (Kaitlin, K-12 student)

Booktalk #5

Do you like suspense? Well New Moon is a sci-fi romance and is the second book in the “Twilight” saga. Twilight is about a girl named Isabella Swan who goes to a new school and falls in love with a boy named Edward Cullen. Later in the book she discovers that Edward isn't a regular boy, he is actually a vampire.  Then he has to save her from another vampire who is trying to drink her blood.

New Moon is called many things? Breathless, romantic, and suspenseful. I think it’s full of adventure because Stephenie Meyer puts Bella on an action packed journey to save Edward Cullen. But before this journey begins Edward does something very tragic that might change their relationship forever. Though Bella’s hurt she learns how to mend the pain by spending time with her friend Jacob (a werewolf) who is mortal enemies with Edward Cullen (a vampire).

Since Jacob and Bella are best friends they have great times together. But Bella makes some unwise decisions which leads her into great danger, because her nemesis has come back to seek revenge on her. Even though she loves spending time with Jacob will she abandon him to save her one true love?

I recommended this book to anyone who likes suspense and/or romance. I like this book because Mrs. Meyer does a great job combining the two very different genres and I really like how the characters come to life when you read about them. I also recommend the other books that are apart of this saga...Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.  (Jailene, K-12 student)