Millions of family members and friends can expect to be shooed away or shushed by their otherwise sociable loved ones come midnight on August 2. This freeze – out will not be the result of a miscommunication or philosophical disagreement. Instead, millions of readers nationwide will isolate themselves to devour “Breaking Dawn”, the last book in Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight Saga.
“Breaking Dawn,” which continues the love story between its human narrator Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen, will be released at midnight parties throughout the
Cyndie Kalina, owner of Once Upon a Story bookstore, said that the appeal of hosting a party for the release of “Breaking Dawn” comes from the series’ draw and its fun theme.
“It’s so popular,” Kalina said. “You can’t do a party for every book that comes out.”
Many people, including writers for Time magazine and Entertainment Weekly, have compared the success of Meyer’s works with the Harry Potter series. In many ways, the parties for “Breaking Dawn” mirror those given in summers past for the latest additions to Harry Potter’s adventures. Readers can compare costumes and take each other on in trivia contests while anxiously awaiting the stroke of midnight. Echoes of the Snape: Friend or Foe debates can be found in the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debates that will be seen in stores across the nation.
Cindy Patterson, community relations manager for Barnes and Noble at Marina Pacifica, said that she sees similarities between Harry Potter fans and Twilighters, but she expects to see less of a family presence at the party because the Twilight Saga is aimed at an older reader group.
Matthew Pizzo, community relations manager for Barnes and Noble at Long Beach Towne Center, said that the store is treating Breaking Dawn like it treated many of the Harry Potter books and that it has received in excess of 500 reservations for copies.
“The popularity of Stephenie Meyer is huge,” Pizzo said. “[She] definitely has captivated readers of all ages”
In working with content from the series, which includes vampires, werewolves and a good, old-fashioned love story,
Readers attending the party at
For those who want to prepare for the midnight release with an added ounce of flair, Once Upon a Story will host its party at La Muse Café on
Erin Vaughan, an employee at Borders books at
“We’ve got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of wristbands for it,”
Breaking down the
Barnes and Noble at
562-938-8330
Party begins at 10 p.m.
Registration opens at noon
Twilighters can roam the store in search of trivia questions and compete for an autographed copy of Breaking Dawn. The store will give away door prizes, including t-shirts, messenger bags and buttons.
Borders Books and Music
562-799-0486
Party begins at 9:30 p.m.
Registration opens at 9 a.m.
Guests attending the party at Borders can participate in costume, trivia and t-shirt contests for Borders exclusive prizes. The store will also have “Go Ask Alice” fortune telling, “Jasper’s Calming Effect” yoga and a reading of the book’s first chapter.
Once Upon a Story
562-433-6856
Party held at La Muse Café
Party begins at 10 p.m.
Prior to the release party, which will include costume and trivia contests, Twilight fans can make reservations for a special dinner. Information on prices and the menu available at onceuponastorybooks.com
Barnes and Noble at Marina Pacifica
562-431-2253
Party begins at 10 p.m.
Registration opens at 10 p.m.
Guests with reserved copies are invited to attend the bookstore’s prom-themed “goth party,” which will feature costume and trivia contests, photos and the selection of a prom queen and king.
Twilight by the numbers
6: number of months that Breaking Dawn has been one of Amazon.com’s monthly bestsellers solely because of presales
6: position of Eclipse on Amazon.com’s customer favorites list for 2007
768: number of pages in Breaking Dawn
3: position of New Moon on Amazon.com’s 2006 editor’s picks for teen literature
3.2 million: Number of copies in the first printing of Breaking Dawn
3: months it took Stephenie Meyer to write Twilight
5: Number of days it took to sell out four venues hosting the Breaking Dawn concert series, which features appearances from Meyer and Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October
143: combined weeks that the first three novels of the series – Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse – have spent on the New York Times bestsellers list
3120: population of Forks Washington, the setting for the Twilight saga
1: Current position of the saga on the New York Times Bestsellers list for childrens’ series
$37 million: Estimated budget for the upcoming film, Twilight, which is slated to hit theaters in December.
(Numbers from amazon.com, the New York Times, Stephenie Meyer’s website,
Be the first to comment on this article!