GRANT JEFFERIES
A display of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, at the Little Bookworms, on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch. A Little Bookworms Vampire Ball will be held August 1 at 10pm until midnight celebrating the release of the final book in the series, Breaking Dawn. GRANT JEFFERIES/gjefferies@bradenton.com.
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By TIFFANY ST। MARTIN
tstmartin@bradenton.com
When it comes to teens Amanda Capp's age, readers are the "large minority."
Most of 16-year-old Amanda's friends aren't big on books, but even those who aren't avid readers are "Twilight" groupies.
Mormon housewife Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight," the book about a romance between a teenage girl, Bella, and a vampire, Edward, came out in 2005.
"New Moon" and "Eclipse" followed, and "Breaking Dawn," the fourth and final book of the series, comes out Aug. 2. Both Little Bookworms in Lakewood Ranch and Books-A-Million in Bradenton will host release parties 10 p.m. to midnight Aug. 1.
Between the release parties, the young readers and the movie - "Twilight" will be in theaters in December -the saga is Harry Potter-like in its popularity, though some say it doesn't have the same reach as J.K. Rowling's series.
So what is it about wizards and vampires that gets kids reading?
A lot of it has to do with the "Twilight" series' love story, Amanda said. Some critics have called it "Anne Rice lite" because the romance takes precedence over the vampire stuff.
"I love 'Twilight' because it's an awesome romantic series, but it's not a fluff teen angst story," she said. "It's fantasy, adventure, romance. Plus Stephenie's an incredible author."
Amanda may be the exception to the rule, as she hasn't met a book genre she doesn't like and often reads more than one book at a time. But as is common with trends, "Twilight" became popular through word-of-mouth and friends passing it to friends.
The series has attracted quite an audience, from middle schoolers to teenagers to teachers and other adults. Some of its followers were readers pre-"Twilight," while it drew others into the wide world of reading, said Heidi Allwood, who co-owns Little Bookworms with her mom, Holly Baracchini. Both of them are fans of the books, as is Books-A-Million kids' specialist Vickie Scout.
"It's just a page-turner; it's a really fun book to read," Allwood said. "Once you start it, you really don't want to put it down."
And she finds once people pick it up, they can't wait to get their hands on the next one.
There are differing opinions on how Meyer chose to end the saga. It looked like Bella and Edward were headed toward the aisle at the end of "Eclipse," Allwood said, and the biggest unknown is whether Bella will become a vampire (what she wants) or stay human (what Edward wants).
Amanda doesn't want Bella to turn into a vampire or be with Edward. Instead, she hopes the character will end up with her friend Jacob. She's in the minority, as is Allwood, who speculates Edward will die in "Breaking Dawn."
"There are so many things to tie up, being it's an epic love story," Allwood said.
Readers will get their answers first thing Aug. 2, but before then they can immerse themselves in "Twilight" fever.
Books-A-Million will have a makeup table at which people can transform into vampires, and a fitting bloodmobile will be outside the store 6-11 p.m.
Promgoers at Little Bookworms can dance to tunes courtesy of a DJ, predict what will happen in the final novel, bob for apples while wearing vampire fangs and plan Bella's wedding.
Little Bookworms is taking pre-orders for "Breaking Dawn" until Thursday; one pre-order per family guarantees admission into the ball. Books-A-Million's party is open to the public.
Tiffany St. Martin, Herald reporter, can be reached at 708-7918. Dawn breaks soon
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