Twilight: Fans take summer school class about the book

Knight Ridder/Tribune

The Twilight Saga has captivated La Crosse teens since they read the first book's early chapters.

"There's nothing not to like," said Kathleen Becker, 13, of the popular series of books. The four books -- "Twilight," "New Moon," "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" -- follow the romance between a teen vampire, Edward, and a high school girl, Bella. The books have become wildly popular, topping bestseller lists since the series debuted in 2005.

The first book was made into a movie last year, and a second, "New Moon," will be in theaters in November.

Local high school English teacher Katie Keeney started a "Twilight" class this summer to appeal to the book's fans. The La Crosse School District summer enrichment class attracted 16 students for its first session and has 30 registered for the second.

"It's a vampire story, but I think the love story is why the kids are so interested," Keeney said.

Becker, a Longfellow Middle School student, became hooked after reading her first book in September. In nine months, she has read the four books in the series a combination of 26 times and watched the movie 28 times.

Author Stephanie Meyer writes the characters well and makes them come to life, said Alea Clair, 12.

"It's funny to see what words Bella uses," said Clair, who attends Lincoln Middle School.

Clair's reading of the four books has topped 20 times, and she has seen the movie 15 times.

Abbi Olson, 11, who will attend Lincoln Middle School in the fall, has read the books and seen the movie so many times that she stopped counting.

"It's a different view of vampires than I've read before," Olson said.

Erin Petersen, 13, who attends SOTA II, "fell in love" with all of the characters. Her favorite is Alice, a fun-loving, easy going teen who is nice to everyone.

"It's really catchy because it is sort of a new age of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet,' and I really like Shakespeare," she said.

Twilight trivia

How well do you know your "Twilight" facts? Test your knowledge with the following trivia questions:

A: In the cafeteria, what two things does Alice dump in the trash not touched?

B: What is the name of the ballet studio where Bella and James had a fight?

C: What book was this line said in: "I borrowed this from your house. I hope you don't mind."

D: What year did Edward become a vampire?

E: What was Edward dying of?

Answers:

A: An apple and a soda

B: Mimi's School of Dance

C: "Twilight"

D: 1918

E: Spanish influenza

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