Twilight mania invades Clermont libraries

Clermont County teens and tweens are flocking in droves to the library for all things Twilight. The first book in Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling series has created a fan base unseen since the days of Harry Potter hysteria.

The movie New Moon, based on Meyer’s second book in the series, hits movie theaters Nov. 20.

As of Nov. 5, all library copies of New Moon had been checked out, with additional holds on the first copies returned.

To date, circulation for the four books in the series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn totals 4,493 checkouts. As a comparison, J.K. Rowling's first book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has circulated an average of 488 times in the eleven years since it appeared on library shelves. Compare that to Twilight, which has already been checked out an average of 490 times since it arrived in libraries in 2005 - four short years ago.

The Twilight fan base has been so notoriously devoted and die-hard that some have been dubbed "Twi-hards" by the media. Kreah Everett, a ninth grade student at Withrow University High School explains her devotion. "I like the Twilight saga because it's like a supernatural romantic thriller. It will keep you up most of the night guessing."

Laura Settle, Youth Services Specialist for Clermont County Public Library is hosting a Twilight contest where teens will get the chance to vote: Team Edward v. Team Jacob at the New Richmond Branch Library, Nov. 16-21 during library hours.

More shocking than the popularity of the series amongst young adults is its appeal to the 20-40 year old female demographic. Settle shares her insight.

"When things are sad, boring, dull or just plain bad in your life, it is easy to get lost in a book like Twilight. Adults need a break from reality just as much as teens. The books let us escape for a little while, giving us hope that our lives might become better, and a sense of relief that we don't have such terrible troubles. Meyer makes us believe it's possible and that's enough to keep us coming back for more."

Twilight, the first book in the saga, spent 52 straight weeks on the USA Today Top 10 and 102 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.