Twilight Book Series: Are they okay for Tweens and Teens to read?

Twilight Series Book Review
By Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil

I have to admit, I love Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. Oh, it won’t be win a Nobel Prize or anything, but it’s about the only series of books written for young adults that moms can stomach, too.
The series follows teenager Bella Swan as she meets and falls in love with a vampire. Throughout Twilight’s four (sometimes excruciatingly) long novels, our heroine learns more about the unseen vampire world in our midst, embarks on several thrilling adventures, falls in love more than once, and narrowly escapes death on a number of occasions. If your daughters are anything like mine, they won’t be able to put the books down. And if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to put them down, either.
I am especially impressed with the Twilight series because Meyer managed to appeal to teens without including excessive references to drugs, alcohol and partying. Premarital sex comes up, as would be expected in a teen romance series, but it is dealt with in a sensitive, thoughtful manner and, surprisingly, much attention is paid to the idea of waiting until marriage. Actions in this series have consequences, much like in real life, and your teens will find themselves thinking about those consequences while reading these books, without even realizing they’re doing so.
I’ve had a wonderful time reading this series and discussing it with my teenage stepdaughters. Sometimes the dialogue and plotlines drive us crazy, but even that makes for good conversation. We’ve talked about what has happened and we’ve talked about what we’ve wanted to happen. We’ve gossiped about the celebrities starring in the film version of Twilight, we’re planning on seeing the movie together, and we’ve listened to the soundtrack together. In short, the Twilight series makes for some great bonding time with your girls.
I would recommend this series for girls ages 13 and up, simply because the themes of love, physical involvement, and violence are more suitable for teens than for tweens. If your daughter is younger than 13, read the series for yourself first, then decide whether she’s ready.