CA District Reinstates 'Twilight' Books After Ban

By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 10/9/2008 11:04:00 AM

There’s nothing like a good vampire novel to draw concern — and Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series (Little, Brown, 2005) is no exception.

After noticing the large number of students requesting the books from the middle school library, Julia Gerfin, Capistrano Unified School District's coordinator of literacy programs, reviewed the four-book Twilight series and determined last month that they were too mature for middle school students.

The district’s 12 middle school library media technicians were asked to send all of Meyer’s books to the district office, where they were to be redistributed to the district's high school libraries.

The decision, however, was temporarily reversed four days later, pending a more thorough review of the books and their content, according to district spokeswoman Julie Hatchel.

Twilight tells the story of a romance between a vampire and a 17-year-old girl, attracting readers far older — and younger — than the young adults audience that Meyer, a Mormon soccer mom, had envisioned when she wrote the book.

“Her fans are very enthusiastic,” agrees Elizabeth Eulberg, Meyer’s publicist, who notes that the book is aimed at readers 12 and older.

That’s Hatchel point — that the books aren’t suited for sixth and seventh graders, although she’s quick to add that no one in the district is interested in banning the books.

“We had some concern that we might be pushing this too quickly and held off on a decision until we have more time to determine the proper placement,” she says. “I think of it as a realignment.”

Hatchel remembered another realignment during her career as a principal, when an atlas, featuring what she described as images of Greek and Roman statues, was removed from elementary schools and put in the district’s middle schools, where they determined it would have a better academic fit. “It was inappropriate for kindergartners through fifth graders,” she says.

The district is in the process of determining where Twilight fits best as well. But, for now, the series temporarily rests in the middle schools. Vampire tween fans, take note.

A flim version of the book hits theaters on November 21.