I am one of those people, once I start reading a series of books I am compelled to finish it. This may also go along with the review I started with the first Twilight book. So I picked up and read New Moon, the second book in the Twilight Saga, and the next come to the big screen. It is once again, a decent young adult book. Once you get into the story it might capture you for the long run.

The story starts where the first book left off, no time gap, and no missing back story. I liked that fact, but it would have driven me insane if I had to wait that year between books during the original printing. It would be as bad for me as it is waiting for the now third book in the Inheritance Cycle.

For the next few moths Bella and Edward are inseparable, until an incident on her birthday. After almost getting killed by Edward’s family, he decides they should leave. He tells her that he is no longer in love with her, and she needs to move on with her life. Then came the 4 most annoying pages I have seen in a book, they just list the months as they pass, one month per page.

This illustrates one of the key complaints that most parents have about the books. It shows how obsessed Bella is with Edward. Se basically spends the next four months in a depressive state, separating herself from the world. It does not tell you everything her father did to try and help her until much later in the book. When I was first reading the next few chapters, I was thinking “Where is her father for all this?” But I felt better when I got to the part in the book that explained those four months, and what happened during them.

The next few chapters are spent with her slowly rejoining the world of the living, mostly by doing what is call Stupid and Dangerous things, to include riding a motorcycle. I myself have nothing against motorcycles; if my 18 year old Daughter wanted to have a motorcycle I might work with her on getting one and learning to ride it. I would rather her come to me with that then go to a friend. Besides, she is 18 and can do what she wants anyway. Sure, we can all have the “While your in MY house”, but will it really stop them?

Bella discovered that an adrenaline rush would cause a delusion of Edward’s voice. From that point on she spends the main story trying everything she could think of to get that rush. She started hanging out with Jacob Black, the boy who told her what Edward was, getting him to fix a motorcycle and teach her to ride it. She slowly starts to fall in love with him. Not the same as with Edward, but is anything ever the same as your first love.

As she begins to accept this love, Jacob becomes distant, and begins to avoid her. She starts to fall as she did when Edward left her. The story spends a lot of time exaggerating the emotional swings of most teenagers. Bella has what you might call and addictive personality, she becomes attached to things and people to the point that she feels as if she can’t live with out them. This Speaks to the fact that she is coming from a broken home and never really had any security in her life up to this point. This is an aspect that I like about the story, but may be one that is putting off many of the other parents.

Once she discovers that Jacob is a werewolf, their relationship picks up better than before. But she finds herself forcibly separated from him while he protects her. During this time, to get one of her delusions, she jumps off a cliff into the ocean, almost killing herself. This is one point here I would hope that my children have better sense that do what they see others doing. She is saved by Jacob, but Allis, Edward’s sister, had a vision of Bella dieing, and rushes to try and save her.

Over all, entire book flows rather slowly, not one I can see being made into a movie as is. I have a feeling that there will be many of the same story flow modifications to the movie as there were for Twilight. I am looking forward to seeing this once it comes out on DVD; I never go to the movies any more. I am also looking forward to reading the next book in the saga, but I can’t bring myself to pay $8 when I got the other two for $5 each. I will have to keep my eye out for the $5 printing while I am shopping over the next few weeks.

Until then, I am reading the Hardy Boys, thinking about reading them as bedtime stories to the girls.

Check out the other Twilight posts I have:
Twilight – is it appropriate for young Ladies?

For more of what dads with daughters have to say about Twilight check these links:

The Bloggers:

Ron Mattocks of Clark Kent’s Lunchbox — “Twilight” For Girls? Dad Bloggers Share Their Thoughts

Justin Howefitz of Howefitz blog – Twilight: One Father’s Ramblings On A Phenomenon

Ciara of Ciara’s Ramblings and What not –Is it safe? Twilight and Teens

Joe Schatz of Joeprah — A Dad of Daughters on the Twilight Phenomenon

National Fatherhood Examiner (still Joe Schatz) — Dad and Mom Bloggers react to “New Moon” & “Twilight” series

So, what are your thoughts? Has the book been brought up as an issue in your house? How about the movie? Is there any reason to censor this book from kids, or do you think it is appropriate for most kids?

Tags: book, dad blogs, movies, new moon, reading, Review, Twilight

About two weeks ago Joeprah stated a small group of fathers from dad blogs. This group was going to review the book/movie “Twilight” and determine whether or not we thought it was a book we would mind if out daughters. My wife and I have seen the trailers for the movie. I thought it would be a decent movie, but we never went out of our way to see it. When this group started to get together I thought, “Why not, I did just finish my other book.” This was also an opportunity to start using my new Library and Movies plugins for the site.

I started out reading with the preconceived notion that this book would be out of the question for young adult readers. Knowing it is basically a love and suspense story, I thought there would be the obligatory love scene, but I never did find it. The  book itself is written very PG. There is no bad language, no real adult only content, and only mild hind ( and not often) about sex.

The story is about a seven-teen year old girl from a broken home moving from Phoenix, AZ to the small town of Forks, WA to live with her father. She was doing this so that her mother could go to Florida with her new husband

She Started to school in this small town that she despised with the fear that she would not fit in and no one would like her. To her surprise she instantly made friends. During her first lunch she takes note of a group of students sitting off by themselves, and was told they were all brothers and sister. I her Biology class she meets one of them first hand. He reacts very strangely, apparently  hating her with out a word passing between them. Later she finds him trying to change his classes so that he would not have to sit by her.

Latter after he saves her  from almost being hit by a car, he continues his strange behavior toward her, avoiding her  and distancing himself as much as he could. After a few weeks he gives up on his attempts to avoid her and befriends her instead, the whole time trying to convince her that he is a very dangerous person to be near.

At a beach party she meets up with the son of a family friend, who tells her  a story about the strange family and how they are Vampires. Even after realizing the truth, she did not want to be with out him. She had fallen in love and she did not care if her was a monster.The story centers around a theme of “Love Transcends all, even natural instankt.

I would be willing to read this book to my eight year old daughter, or even let her read it herself  if she was in her teens.

In contrast the movie is almost completely different, as most book-based movie. I would not let my 8yo see them movie, but if she was in her teens I would be willing to watch it wither. If you go by what is in to movie, and never read the book, you are missing great story. They changed major key elements of the story. The movie and book share only a few pivotal scenes. If i had not read the mook first I may have liked the movie better than I did.

The movie is not a family movie night prospect, but I could see the book as a family reading book if you kids like fiction.

Check out the other Twilight posts I have:
Twilight – New Moon

For more of what dads with daughters have to say about Twilight check these links:

The Bloggers:

Ron Mattocks of Clark Kent’s Lunchbox — “Twilight” For Girls? Dad Bloggers Share Their Thoughts

Justin Howefitz of Howefitz blog – Twilight: One Father’s Ramblings On A Phenomenon

Ciara of Ciara’s Ramblings and What not –Is it safe? Twilight and Teens

Joe Schatz of Joeprah — A Dad of Daughters on the Twilight Phenomenon

National Fatherhood Examiner (still Joe Schatz) — Dad and Mom Bloggers react to “New Moon” & “Twilight” series

So, what are your thoughts? Has the book been brought up as an issue in your house? How about the movie? Is there any reason to censor this book from kids, or do you think it is appropriate for most kids?

Tags: books, dad blogs, movie, reading, Review, Twilight

My oldest daughter is going into the second grade this year. This will be the third school she has attended in four years. I found that she will be going to an alternative school, which throws me for a loop. I thought alternative schools were for bad kids. Apparently many of the cities alternative schools have been converted to regular schools; they just maintained the “alternative” within the name.

After calling the school, we found that she will be wearing a uniform to school. The first thing to pop in my head was the classic school girl uniform, with skirt and jacket. With that thought in my mind, I suddenly did not want to put my sever year old daughter in school. Later we found that is policy is skirt or pants, and we also found some really nice uniforms at Target.

This brings me to my main topic for this post. Are Uniforms taking the individuality form our children? I know that the main selling point for school uniforms is to lower violence in schools over clothing, violence that escalated many years ago when kids were fighting over the Nike shoes. My concern is that it is teaching our children to try and fit in, be like everyone else. I don’t want my children to be drones. She also did not like the idea of having to wear a uniform.

Over the past two years the “Tween” category of children has emerged. This is the age range of 7-12, and is marked by the young singers with television show about them, for instance Hanna Montana and the Jonas Brothers. My wife and I have come to enjoy the shows as we watch them with the kids, and also like the fact that they somewhat push the “Be yourself” attitude. My daughter has dove head first into the girly fashion want early on with the Bratz fad, which has since faded. Since then she has been assimilating the fashions and looks of many of her favorite television shows. I often encourage her in that, because the fusions give her a way to express herself. This self expression is stifled by the school uniform, which she will spend most of the day in.

I feel that with the stifling of creativity and self expression, we are slowly cranking out cookie cutter clones. The is farther exasperated by the removing of Christianity form schools, and the educational cramming of facts into the children. I am all for education, and the public school method of learning how to interact with others.

When it is all said and done, I feel that the uniforms my inhibit my child from learning to be and individual and think for herself, which is what this nation is really lacking.

Tags: dad blogs, Fatherhood Fridays, school, school uniforms