Breaking Dawn

It’s here! The final installment in the Twilight young adult fantasy series by author Stephenie Meyer, Breaking Dawn, hits the shelves today, and there are two release parties in town to celebrate. The series is always described as “wildly popular,” and it’s true. The human heroine Bella and her vampire boyfriend Edward have captured the imagination of teen readers (okay, teen girls), lots and lots of them — the series has sold more than seven million copies so far. Bella and Edward are set to be married as the book opens, but, of course, there’ll be a few hurdles to jump before they get to the altar.

Entertainment Weekly fanned the Breaking Dawn flames with a cover showing the lead actors in the first movie based on the series (that release is still months away, but Twilight fans were all atwitter at getting their first glimpse of the actors). The author herself shut down all fan site message boards online to cut down on prerelease spoilers (and increase pent-up Breaking Dawn-mania, no doubt).

After last year’s mega-successful midnight release parties for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in that series, expectations are high for even bigger and better release-related events, and Breaking Dawn plans to deliver. Expect costumed characters, trivia games, book discussions, treats, contests and, oh, yeah, really long lines. 9 p.m. Barnes & Noble, Town & Country, 12850 Memorial. For information, call 713-465-5616 or visit www.barnesandnoble.com. Free. 11:17 p.m. Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial. For information, call 281-497-8675 or visit www.bluewillowbookshop.com. Free.
Fri., Aug. 1, 9 p.m., 2008