Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT (Defining Series) [Paperback]

Brian Leaf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470507438 | ISBN-13: 978-0470507438 | Edition: 1

Can you resist the allure of Edward’s myriad charms—his ocher eyes and tousled hair, the cadence of his speech, his chiseled alabaster skin, and his gratuitous charm? Will you hunt surreptitiously and tolerate the ceaseless deluge in Forks to evade the sun and uphold the facade? Join Edward and Bella as you learn more than 600 vocabulary words to improve your score on the *SAT, ACT^®, GED^®, and SSAT^® exams!

Use this workbook side-by-side with your own copy of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight!

• Each chapter of the workbook gives you eight words taken from Twilight, with page references for you to read the words in the context of your favorite novel
• Define the words on your own before turning back to the workbook for their actual definitions
• At the end of each section you’ll take SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT drills and quizzes to review and integrate what you’ve learned
• Plus, you’ll learn synonyms, Latin word parts, and memorization tools throughout the workbook

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brian Leaf has taken the pain out of studying for standardized tests. He shows students how to use Twilight to increase their word power. Who would have thought that learning vocabulary could be so much fun?"
–Bruce Hammond, Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College.

"I never would have believed that students could study vocabulary and enjoy a great book like Twilight at the same time, but Brian Leaf makes it possible!"
–Peter Facinelli, Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the Twilightsaga movies

From the Back Cover

This publication has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by any entity that created or produced the Twilight series of books or movies.

"Brian Leaf has taken the pain out of studying for standardized tests. He shows students how to use Twilight to increase their word power. Who would have thought that learning vocabulary could be so much fun?"
—Bruce Hammond, coauthor of Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College

"I never would have believed that students could study vocabulary and enjoy a great book like Twilight at the same time, but Brian Leaf makes it possible!"
—Peter Facinelli (Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight saga movies)

Can you resist the allure of Edward's myriad charms—his ocher eyes and tousled hair, the cadence of his speech, his chiseled alabaster skin, and his gratuitous charm? Join Edward and Bella as you learn more than 600 vocabulary words to improve your score on the *SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT exams!

Use this workbook side by side with your own copy of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight!

• Each chapter of the workbook gives you eight words taken from Twilight, with page references for you to read the words in the context of your favorite novel

• Define the words on your own before turning back to the workbook for their actual definitions

• Plus, you'll learn synonyms, word parts, and memorization tools throughout the workbook

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes; 1 edition (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470507438
• ISBN-13: 978-0470507438
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Education > Test Guides - College & University > SAT & PSAT
  • #66 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Words & Language > Vocabulary
  • #72 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Education > Curricula

More About the Author

Brian Leaf, M.A., is the author of ten books, including Name That Movie!, Defining Twilight, and McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score. He is Director of the New Leaf Learning Center in Massachusetts, and has provided SAT, ACT, GED, SSAT, and GRE preparation to thousands of students from throughout the United States.

Brian graduated from Georgetown University in 1993 with a B.A. in Business, English, and Theology. In 1999, he completed a Masters through Lesley College specializing in Holistic Therapies for Attention Deficit Disorder. Brian is a member of the American School Counselor Association and the Massachusetts School Counselors Association and works with the Georgetown University Office of Undergraduate Admissions as an alumni interviewer.

Brian is also a certified yoga instructor and avid meditator. In fact, Brian's test-prep career began as a Yoga Teacher at ETS (Educational Testing Service), the company that makes the SAT! Only Brian knows what the test-makers said while half asleep in relaxation pose...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Twilight has no concept of grammar, October 5, 2011

By 

Ardem Whaile - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT (Defining Series) (Paperback)

Twilight as a test prep book.

.....Huh?

How on earth is this possible? Yes, Stephenie Meyer knows how to use a thesaurus, but many times throughout her books she MISuses the words. She uses them in the wrong context, she excessively uses some words ("dazzle" and "murmur" are used way too many times) and this is only talking about her word choice. Her grammar is atrocious, and is convoluted and horrific in places. Not to mention the sexism and classism prevalent in the series.

Just look at this blog, http://reasoningwithvampires.tumblr.com/ which conveniently analyses and pinpoints the many, many mistakes and problems in general of the series. If this Brian Leaf is going to make a test prep book, he should at least base it off of a book that has some concept of, you know, editing.

But then again: the book sells, the people using it probably aren't smart enough to notice the atrocity of Twilight as it is, and the book sells.

And I guess that's all that really matters (to Brian Leaf).

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent and Engaging Learning Tool, July 16, 2009

By 

B. Ostiguy (Northampton, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT (Defining Series) (Paperback)

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to improve their vocabulary and/or standardized test scores. Fans of "Twilight" will no doubt appreciate the references to words and characters from that book, but one does not need to read the novel to find Mr. Leaf's methods engaging and highly effective.

As an educational professional, I am very impressed with Mr. Leaf's ability to increase the reader's vocabulary (and ability to determine the meaning of unknown words) while seamlessly weaving in loads of invaluable exam taking strategies and techniques. "Defining Twilight" is a powerful educational tool that I highly recommend to parents and teachers, fans of "Twilight," or anyone who is seeking an engaging and enjoyable way to harness the power of words.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever!, September 30, 2009

By 

Alison's "Alison's Book Marks" (Asbury, NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT (Defining Series) (Paperback)

Petulance. Providentially. Surreptitiously. Insolent. Omnipresent.

Did you notice that these are SAT vocabulary words? Did you notice that they are can also be found in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight?

I recently read a review of <em>Twilight</em>, and the reviewer stated how the language felt like a teenager showing off what they learned in their last SAT prep class. I'm not sure I agree, but if it feels like SAT prep, and it looks like SAT prep, then, by all means, let's make it SAT Prep! And that is precisely what Brian Leaf does in his book, Defining Twilight, a vocabulary workbook for unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT.

What better way to make the connection between vocabulary and writing than to choose a book that teens already love to read?

I have to say, Brian Leaf's workbook is relatively painless. The layout of the book is great. Each section begins with 8 vocabulary words and the page you can find them in the Twilight text. Based on the context, you are to come up with your own definition. Then, you check the definition, its synonyms, word parts, and do memorization drills. In all, there are 40 groups of vocabulary words, adding almost 400 words to your vocabulary!

I was worried about the page numbers relating to different editions of Twilight. I checked it against my own copy, which is a first edition hardcover, and all the page numbers matched up.

No, I didn't do the entire workbook, and I was glad to see I knew the majority of the words highlighted in the book, but I had fun finding a few words that aren't currently a part of my everyday vocabulary. I am by no means a wordsmith, but I do enjoy building my bucket of 5-cent words.

If you are preparing for one of those dreaded standardized tests, and want to start out with something a lot less painful than the workbooks I had in high school, you should try Defining Twilight. (for less than $10!)

Now, I'm off to surreptitiously give my son some cough medicine.