Defining Twilight Review
Aug 18th, 2009 | By Krystal | Category: Book News, Fandom, Featured Articles, Site News
It’s that time of year again. The dreaded back-to-school season! While you are filling your shopping carts with pencils, erasers, and Team Jacob Edward backpacks you might want to add another item to your cart: Brian Leaf’s Defining Twilight. Defining Twilight is a prep book designed to help build vocabulary for those about to take the SAT, ACT, GED, or SSAT. The workbook is broken down into groups that make their way chronologically through Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Each group contains sections on vocabulary definitions, synonyms, analogies, and sentence completion, all pertaining to Twilight.
What I liked best about the book was the fact that you use your own copy of Twilight to find the definition and context of the vocabulary words. For example, in one exercise you are asked to go to page 69 in Twilight to reference and guess at the definition of ‘chagrin’ (I picked this as an example because, if you’ve read Midnight Sun, you know this word is one of Stephenie’s favorites). You are given space in the workbook to record your own answers and see if they match up with the answer key. There are also quizzes, reviews, and a glossary of all of the vocabulary words includes in this study guide.
I really appreciated the pop culture references Mr. Leaf uses throughout Defining Twilight. Besides finding them entertaining, I also discovered that these references made the vocabulary definitions stick in my head. The definition of ‘serene’ is defined in reference to Gossip Girl’s Serena van der Woodsen. And I never knew that the word ‘chortle’ was invented by Lewis Carroll in his Alice in Wonderland stories. Mr. Leaf also references Seinfeld and Family Guy to help define the vocab! This is definitely not your average prep guide.
I really wish that there would have been a book like this when I was in school (you know, in the Dark Ages). Studying for all of those tests can be a very dry and tedious business. Having a study guide that utilizes your favorite book to help you learn is a major plus. It makes learning new vocab fun and engaging.
Defining Twilight is a really great resource designed to take the pain out of studying and help you build a greater vocabulary. So remember, when your parents ask you why you are reading Twilight yet again, you can tell them you are studying for your upcoming test 🙂
If you have any questions about Defining Twilight, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them. You can order the book here on Amazon. Be sure to check out the videos on Amazon to get a better look at the teaching methods involved (my favorite is Twilight Context Clues)!
Look for Defining New Moon this October!
For more information on Defining Twilight, check out Brian Leaf’s official website!
even though i do not need to take those test i still want it.
it can help so much.
i am not that good at vocab and i think it will be a life saver.
even thought i am in middle school.
TEAM SWITZERLAND!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
I wish I was back in high school just for this. I think i still might get though. Maybe my future kids might like it. Or not. Whatever. I’m getting it and taking it to school for when my instructor’s decide to be late again.
Team Edward. Fa Sho.
This is gonna be great. It’s totally gonna help with my SAT’s in a few years. :)))
This book is perfect. I tried a Defining Twilight kind of tutorial. It’s great. Its gonna help so much especially because I am horrible at vocabulary. Twilight already helped me in a class mini-spelling bee this year (one of my words happened to be incredulous). I think they should invent a book to make Twilight help you with math and social studies. lolz then i’d be set for school. :))
ps. when i read ‘supporter speculation’ and ‘question of the week’ i hear it in singing 🙂 lolz
pps. seriously this book is perfect
Team Volturi: Because who can beat an Italian vampire mafia with sweet black capes???
Dabney
Hello ladies! First, I just want to say I love the podcast. I just started listening a few weeks ago and I’m trying to catch up. I just wanted to say that I think this workbook is a fantastic idea. I’m 27 and I told my husband that I would really like to buy it. He told me that would taking my obession to a whole new level. 🙂 I wish they had something like this when I was in high school. It almost makes me wish I was taking the SATs. Almost. Thanks! Again, I love the podcast you girls are hilarious!
I am getting this book tomorrow… will post more after I finish reading it 🙂
This is great, I am constantly wondering what Chagrin means. I thought it must be an American thing cause as an Australian I had never heard the word before