Twilight Fever Roaring Through the US

As Harry Potter and his friends ride off into the literary sunset, a young girl and a vampire in love have set off a new round of parties and eagerly anticipated books and movies.

“Twilight,” a movie based on the novel by Stephenie Myers, opens Friday in local theaters. The tale of teenage girl Bella and Edward, the handsome vampire who loves her, has found a wide audience beyond the young adult category. Local libraries have long waiting lists of readers who want to borrow the four book series.

“We had three copies of each of them, and I just bought a fourth copy because the waiting list was so long,” said Director Connie Shumate of the Princeton (WV) Public Library. “I don’t think even Harry Potter matched this. Harry Potter was basically young adult reading, but this is everybody. This is all age groups.”