Nightlight

Nightlight
By The Harvard Lampoon
Publisher/Year: Vintage Books New York 2009
Number of Pages: 154
Reading Level: 5th Grade
Genre: Parody

Summary:

Belle Goose is the new girl in her town. She left Her mother to go live with her father in Oregon. Her first day of school she meets some new friends, but in her biology class a boy named Edwart catches her eye. She tries to talk to him, but he isn't very friendly to her. Over the next couple of days she keeps trying to get him to talk to her until on the day they are experimenting with blood in class, Edwart doesn't show up. Bell deducts that he must be a vampire because he doesn't like blood. Edwart also saves her from a big snowball, and when she goes to Port Angeles with some friends, he saves her again. On the drive home, they decide that they can be boyfriend and girlfriend. Belle wants to kiss Edwart, but he believes in moving slower. The next day, Edwart wants to take Belle on a hike. She agrees, and they hike up to a meadow. There they spend five hours staring at each other before they decide to go home. At the end of the date, Belle again tries to kiss Edwart, but he will not. Belle is very disappointed about this. She decides that it is time for her to meet Edwart's family, so they plan to the next day. Edwart drives her to a beautiful house and they walk in to find a family of vampires who want to drink Bell's blood. Edwart then says that he must have gone to the wrong house and they leave. When they get to his real house he plays her a lullaby on his triangle, and they meet his parents. When it's time to go home, Belle suggests they walk through the cemetery. Edwart doesn't like the idea because he's scared of cemeteries, but he goes anyway. In the cemetery they run into a vampire named Josh. Belle tells Edwart to fight Josh because he's a vampire too. It is then that Edwart tells her he is not a vampire, and Belle breaks up with him. He runs away and then Belle becomes Josh's girlfriend. Belle realizes after awhile that she still really loves Edwart after she attends the vampire ball with Josh, and she goes back to Edwart. They play video games, and Belle tells him she loves him. It is only then that he finally kisses her... on the neck.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

This book is not for everyone, but I think that those who have read the "Twilight" series will enjoy the humor. It is just a light, fun, easy book to read.

What Conflicts or problems could this book potentially cause?

It could be said that the book contains violence. Blood is also mentioned quite a bit.

My Reaction:

I wouldn't recommend this book for young readers. However, I found it humorous, and I think a twelve year old girl who has read "Twilight" would find this book enjoyable. I've never read a parody before, and I probably won't again after reading this one, but once I had started it, I couldn't stop reading it.