Bridge to Terabithia

 

Book: Bridge to Terabithia 

Author: Katherine Paterson 

Illustrator: N/A

Genre: Realistic Fiction 

Awards: Newbery 

Age Group: 4-7 

Summary: 

Jess woke up early everyday to go run since he had to be the fastest runner in fifth grade once school started. It was during this that he finds new people moving in next door. Later on, he meets the new neighbor, Leslie Burke. On the first day of school, Jess tries ignoring Leslie until she ends up racing with him and the rest of the boys. She ends up beating him which upsets him. However, he eventually gets past this and ends up becoming friends with her. One day as they are playing, they go into the woods and create their own world, Terabithia, and promise to keep it a secret between them. As seasons change and days get rainier, they still trek into Terabithia but Jess fears crossing the creek that seems to get bigger and bigger as days pass. As Jess contemplates telling Leslie that he is afraid to go to Terabithia, his music teacher Miss Edmunds, who Jess loves btw, comes by and invites him to go to the art museum. Spending most of the day with her, Jess comes back home to see that his family was worried about him and he is told that the rope that they use to cross the creek had broke and Leslie had died. In shock and disbelief, Jess refuses to believe that she has died. Overtime, he is able to cope with his grief and goes and builds a bridge to Terabithia. He also chooses to introduce his little sister to his and Leslie's special place. 

Evaluation and Comments: 

I had always heard that this was a very sad book/movie so I steered clear from it. However I decided to give it a shot and while it is very very sad, its still a beautiful story that explores friendship, imagination, and overcoming grief. 

Due to spoiler, a character death, this book would work best for older students who understand the meaning of death and can comprehend the types of emotions one goes through during this time. Since we experience the death of one of the main characters, it might be difficult for younger students to deal with it. Other than that, like I mentioned, this book contains a lot of elements that I am sure many children will enjoy. 

For class activities, one thing you can do is focus on the imagery of the book. Since we are reading about an imaginary world, the book focuses on imagery to help readers visualize the world of Terabithia. With that, you can have students also use imagery and create their own fantasy world. Students can also watch the movie and have a discussion over the similarities and differences between the movie and the book. 

In conclusion, Bridge to Terabithia has my seal of approval! 🥇😄