‘Eclipse Proms’ a Huge Hit at Libraries
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Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 8/28/2007 2:10:00 PM
Sure, it would have been nice if more boys turned up for the many book release “proms” that took place in libraries nationwide to celebrate Stephenie Meyer’s latest YA novel, Eclipse (2007).
But it really didn’t matter because the whole point was to gather fans of the fantasy series, which features vampire Edward Cullen and his love for Bella, a human. Eclipse is the third in a series that follows best-sellers Twilight (2005) and New Moon (2006, all Little, Brown).
Five boys showed up at the Herzfeld Memorial Library in Benton, AR, and only one made an appearance at the Upper Darby Library in Pennsylvania. Turnout was even worse at the Brook Hollow Branch Library in San Antonio, TX—there wasn’t a single boy in sight.
“I was the only guy there,” says Tom Rice, the teen librarian at Brook Hollow, who organized the August 7 prom with Misty Ptasnic, the media specialist at nearby Bradley Middle School.
In all, 20 girls, ages 12 to 17, dressed up as characters from the series and held trivia and best-costume contests. They even managed to fit in a viewing of the vampire flick Underworld.
On August 3, about two dozen teens attended an Eclipse prom at Upper Darby, where they made picture frames and did a Mad Lib of Bella and Edward’s first meeting. Close to 40 kids showed up for their prom at Herzfeld Memorial, where everyone jammed to music, and YA Librarian Randi Eskridge gave out free books. And more than 1,000 people—mostly girls—anxiously waited to see Meyers at an event at a local college hosted by Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL. Attendees came from as far away as Utah, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Nebraska, and Florida, says Anderson employee Candy Purdom, adding that her bookstore sold 1,300 copies of Eclipse.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is planning an event kit for Meyer’s next book in the series, Breaking Dawn, whose expected release is August 2008. For information, email Victoria Stapleton at victoria.stapleton@hbgusa.com.
