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Parents' Guide to

Midnight Sun

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Same Twilight story, but from Edward's brooding perspective.

Book Stephenie Meyer Fantasy 2020
Midnight Sun Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Carolina H.
Carolina H. Parent
August 21, 2020
age 14+

Wider view point.

Yes, it´s from Edward´s perspective and his perspective is wide. So you get everybody's point of view and there is an underlying theme of family and teamwork that comes through in the novel which enriches the original story. I loved it! Stephanie needs to rewrite all of the books from Edward´s perspective.
gossipgirl13
gossipgirl13 Parent of 11, 11 and 12-year-old
December 26, 2021
age 13+
So... it started out being 1 star, and the worst book I have ever read. I thought it was unbelievable, long, and... long. But then I read Bloodlines, another vampire book and I added 2 stars, because nothing beats Sydrian. Anyway, the story is simple: Twilight from Edward's point of view. I think that this is way too long. Some pieces were too short, like the car chase, which could have been good if Stephanie Meyer made it more thrilling. How can crashing cars, burning the same car, and otherwise breaking laws be so boring? Then there were 56 agonizing pages of The Meadow. Don't read that. Ever. It's literally 56 pages of nothing. The most exciting thing in that chapter was - wait for it - Bella moved her hand a little! Wow! I give this 3 stars purely for Alice, who is such a nice person and so supportive. She's a good friend to Bella. Besides Edward, the one person I could not tolerate was... Bella, who was really not the brightest. Like, never the brightest. Or Rosalie, who kept threatening (I am not kidding) to burn Edward's car. If you've read Twilight, and if you want to read this, I think it's ok for 13+ because it's more violent and you need to be willing to stick it out as well.
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What's the Story?

In MIDNIGHT SUN, Edward, a vampire who can hear other people's thoughts, knows Bella is the cute new girl at school before he sees her. All the boys are thinking about how they'd like to date her. When he meets her in biology class, his reaction is quite the opposite: He'd like to drain her of all her blood immediately. She smells that good. He barely makes it through class without an incident that would expose Edward and his whole coven/family of peace-loving vampires who normally stick to animal blood. He runs off to Alaska to hide from his shame, but misses his family and is determined to curb his urges so he can live among them again. When he returns to school, though, he recalls that Bella's scent isn't the only fascinating thing about her. She's also the only person whose thoughts are totally hidden from him. Suddenly he really wants to know what she's thinking, and wants her to like him despite the danger.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (11 ):

Fans of Twilight will clamor for this Edward-narrated version of the same story that adds more male brooding, more insight into Edward's coven, and more voyeuristic mind-reading. It's too much of all those things by the end, but fans will still slog through the 650-plus pages to find out just what Edward is thinking in their favorite Twilight scenes. It's what every girl wishes she could uncover about her own mysterious crush -- though you hope you don't find out that he really wants to drink your blood in biology class.

Edward's mind-reading adds the most curious layer to Midnight Sun, especially when he's around Alice, his sister who can tell the future. Alice goes through every possible outcome of a situation while Edward watches in her head. It adds some extra tension to the tracking scene (more than the driving of fast stolen cars through Phoenix) and extra tension to Edward's take on the relationship. Edward sees Bella in Alice's head as a vampire and he doesn't want to do that to her, even if he also sees her fall apart if he leaves her. This struggle makes the story more tragic in this telling than in Twilight, but sets up the sequel well. Midnight Sun couldn't quite stand alone without Twilight as a base, but it's still a literary exercise in perspectives that fans will thoroughly enjoy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about which version they like better, Twilight or Midnight Sun. What other stories would you like to see from a different perspective? Which stories have you read that successfully change narrators throughout?

  • Why do you think author Stephenie Meyer wrote this version? Does it enhance the series? Take away from its mystery?

  • Would you read Edward's take on New Moon or Eclipse? Why or why not?

Book Details

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