The movie version of 'Twilight' is coming this winter. PHOTO FROM SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

The midnight release of the last book in the popular "Twilight" series promises to bring hordes of teen and tween girls (and their moms) to local bookstores tonight

Date published: 8/1/2008

BY KIM BAER

Shelby Ball is firmly in the Team Edward camp.

Her best friend, Vicki Wernli, is passionately on the Team Jacob side.

If you have a teenage girl in your household, you likely know just what this rivalry is about.

All others: Prepare to get clued in to the biggest youth book craze since a certain owl-eyed boy entered Hogwarts. "Breaking Dawn," the last in Stephenie Meyer's young adult "Twilight" series, will be released at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

The series offers teen romance with a touch of the paranormal. The books are about Bella, a teen girl torn between two beaus--Edward, a gentlemanly vampire (he drinks animal blood, not human) and Jacob, a more fiery werewolf.

Targeted to teen girls, the books have shown Harry Potteresque crossover appeal. The first three books have sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.

More than 3.5 million copies have been printed of the final book, which promises to reveal which suitor Bella chooses.

Both Fredericksburg-area Borders stores will have release parties tonight. Events will include costume contests, fortune-telling and trivia contests.

The "Twilight" series has been around since 2005 but really started taking off three or four months ago, said Karen Allen, general manager of Borders in Central Park.

Word of mouth has built steadily since.

"It's getting big and getting big in a hurry," Allen said.

More than 500 copies have been pre-ordered at the Borders in Central Park. More than 150 copies are reserved at Central Rappahannock Regional Library's Fredericksburg headquarters.

The hype has drawn new readers to the first three books, too.

"We're selling the heck out of them," said Kerri Dodson, general manager of the Borders at Stafford Marketplace.

Susan Abramowitz, young adult librarian at Porter Library in Stafford, understands the allure. She has read all three books and plans to read the fourth this weekend--although she won't pick up her copy at midnight.

"I'm too old for that," she said with a laugh.

Shelby, a rising eighth-grader at Rodney Thompson Middle School in Stafford, is not. She plans to get her copy at midnight and then read through the night.

"I am the most obsessed fan," said Shelby, who listens to the books repeatedly on her iPod. She has many scenes memorized.

She has gotten her mother hooked, as well.

WHAT: "Breaking Dawn" midnight release WHEN: 9:30 tonight. Events include costume contests, fortune-telling and trivia games. The books will go on sale after midnight. WHERE: Borders stores in Central Park (540/785-6171) and Stafford Marketplace (540/720-9636)

Date published: 8/1/2008