Last night at 12:01 AM I, along with a theater full of teens, gasped with delight when the opening scene from the movie Twilight began. The delight was evident again with the first appearance of Jacob and even more so with the first appearance of Edward. This movie is great! Agree with me or not, I think we can all declare with full confidence that this blockbuster hit is going to make the Twilight Saga even more popular with readers of all ages.
So, the question I’d like to pose is as follows: what’s best to recommend to readers who want more? When vampire books are what they want the upcoming PPYA list “Dead, Dying and the Undead” will be great. But more often I find that it is the innocent romance that they love about Twilight. In that case, what books do folks recommend? Does anyone have a book with romantic elements that they recommend with full confidence? Teens who aren’t die-hard fans might not already know about Midnight Sun but beyond that, I’m always scrambling for a recommendation that I feel will really satisfy. And a final question, are Twilight fans going to find the “more” that they are after by reading Stephenie Meyer’s The Host?
I think that Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt is a perfect suggestion – either the Front Street print edition or the Recorded Books audiobook. Truly romantic and lyrical- with a strong dose of innocence.
Re. The Host: I don’t think they’ll fine the “more”, but they’ll enjoy it as a supplement. I have some kids who just finished the Twilight series who are now immersed in The Host. For a “more” series, I highly, HIGHLY recommend Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange–as soon as I started reading them, I thought they’d be perfect for kids who are sad that Twilight is over. They are extremely well written and contain elements of romance, fantasy-infringing-on-reality, and excellent teenage voice. Great post here–I’m interested in recommendations, too!
I just saw the movie too. A bunch of us librarians went together. I really liked the actor they chose for Jacob. As far as innocent but potent romances I recommend The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan. I, as a rule, like romances. But The Raging Quiet was very satisfying. I don’t think teens, at least, who loved Twilight to find “more” in The Host. It’s a totally different book.
I usually offer these books to teens who want romance as opposed to more vampires:
Enthusiasm – Polly Shulman (re-telling of Pride and Prejudice)
Romiette and Julio – Sharon Draper
The Luxe – Anna Godbersen
The Truth About Forever – Sara Dessen
Forever… – Judy Blume
And as for other books that have Twilight (supernatural, action, bits of horror, great characters) elements, I offer:
City of Bones – Cassandra Clare
Wicked Lovely – Melissa Marr
Tithe – Holly Black
Maximum Ride – James Patterson (every guy I’ve ever given this to has loved it)
Uglies – Scott Westerfeld
As for The Host, all the teens around here who’ve read it have loved it. Right now I’m running 60+ holds on Twilight (things tend to catch on late around here), so a lot of my teens haven’t read it yet.
My Teen Readers Club is following up the Twilight series with the first three Anne Rice vampire novels. Not YA but a very strong influence on Meyer.
I thought of one that would work! Alive Hoffman’s Incantation. it totally has that forbidden love with tame romance as well.
I think Great and Terrible Beauty would be ideal. It has some of the same romantic tendencies and very strong female characters.
i absolutely second the great and terrible beauty series and the wicked lovely series — both have fairly chaste romances, involved plots, and lots of magic.
made a display with the books suggested here. “Not Twilight but these books will sustain you.” http://twitpic.com/t6fq