Young Adult Literature without Apology
Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.
Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery
Cabot, Meg (2005). Twilight. (Mediator Series, No. 6). NY: Harper Collins. 245 pages. ISBN: 0060724676.
Twilight is the sixth (and, I think, last) installment of Cabot's "Mediator" series, first penned in 2000 and credited to Cabot's pseudonymous alter ego, Jenny Carroll. The series introduces us to Suze, a teenage (16) "mediator" whose supernatural job involves righting the wrongs done to the recently deceased and aiding in the spiritual passage of the dead from the shifting "Shadowlands" to their eternal resting place. Told in a distinctly edgier (and more sarcastic) voice than "The Princess Diaries", the series focuses on Suze's seemingly doomed romance with a 150 year old ghost. In Twilight, Suze finds an unexpected ally and manages to pilot a plot that brings her ghostly boyfriend back to life in the 21st century.The obvious connection is that of the author; bestselling Meg Cabot has "The Princess Diaries" and "All American Girl" under her belt to prove her popularity. The re-issue of her older series (with Cabot's name prominently featured on the cover) is an obvious attempt to milk that angle. While slightly interesting, the "Mediator" series has less heart than "The Princess Diaries" and, because of this, I'm not sure how much crossover appeal the series might have to Cabot's devoted readers. Maybe the real difference in narrative voice and tone will win over the more cynical contingent, who dismissed "Princess Diaries" as too fluffy.
