Katherine Paterson

Marie-Helen Goyetche

Literature guide that discusses the dramatic and fascinating story of friendship between Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke.

Grades 5 - 6

Bridge to Terabithia

raia – inactive

“Your mother and I thought we ought to go down to the neighbors and pay respects.” His father cleared his throat. “I think it would be fitting for you to come, too.” He stopped again. “Seeing’s you was the one that really knowed the little girl.”

“Your friend Leslie is dead, Jesse. You need to understand that."

He ran until he was stumbling but he kept on, afraid to stop. Knowing somehow that running was the only thing that could keep Leslie from being dead. It was up to him. He had to keep going.

“No,” he said straight at May Belle. “It’s a lie. Leslie ain’t dead.”

“They found the Burke girl this morning down in the creek.”

Monicap

This is probably the fourth of fifth time I've read this book.

As always, it made me sad.

Two of my brothers warned me that I SHOULD NOT READ this book, because they were aware it would make me cry. I was aware it would make me cry, too, but I didn't remember quite how sad it would make me until I started crying.

This is an excellent, touching book about friendship and growing up and shit happens and it will make your children cry!

But everyone should read this book at some point in their life.

kait

This hit me right in my childhood! Bridge to Terabithia is about Jess and Leslie in a magical, young story about friendship. Jess is used to life on the farm, tending to the cows and helping out with his sisters. One day, Leslie moves in and tries to befriend Jess but he doesn't really want anything to do with her, until one day. She is pretty relentless about trying to be his friend and decides to race on the boy's side of the playground in a race to find who is the fastest runner. After Jess has trained all summer, he is sure to be the fastest. Sadly, he (and all the other boys) are beaten by Leslie...a girl. Soon, Jess is mesmerized by her swiftness and they become best friends. They even find a secret place in the woods to build up an entire imaginary kingdom in which they are king and queen. However, this fairytale can't last forever. This story pulled at my heartstrings when I first watched the movie because I was not really an avid reader as a child so the film holds a special place in my heart. I am glad that I read the book finally but I did think the movie was a lot sadder. This book is really short and a good read, especially for fans of the movie. I was kind of thrown for a loop while reading just because of some of the fatphobic comments throughout the story (not sure if they were in the movie since it has been so long since I watched it) so just be aware that this is a recurring topic. Other than that, this book has an easy writing style, fast-pace, and a friendship that, for me, is incredibly relatable and makes me miss my childhood friends.

as of now my memory of this book may be distorted but i remember crying a few times while trying to finish it. it was a heartwarming, feel-good read and felt like a trip to fairyland in the midst of my hectic school schedule. 

The 40th anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Medal-winning title by beloved author Katherine Paterson, with brand-new bonus materials including an author's note by Katherine herself and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo. Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief. Bridge to Terabithia was also named an ALA Notable Children’s Book and has become a touchstone of children’s literature, as have many of Katherine Paterson’s other novels, including The Great Gilly Hopkins and Jacob Have I Loved.

sophie

peyton 

** spoiler alert **
           I read this book months ago and it still hurts to this day to think about it. The book is beautifully written and makes you feel many many emotions. 


**Spoilers** 
In the ending of the book when she dies my hurt was left completely shattered the characters weren’t the only ones experiencing grief I was to.

Haylie

Yeah I read this in 4th grade and it made me cry while we read it in class. I don't think the movie does the book justice though.

This book and movie is so heartbreaking and shows how vivid our imaginations are as children and how they offer perfect escapes for the ones who need it the most.

Kirsten Simkiss

Honestly, it’s 12:18 AM and I should not have started this book so late because now I’m crying in bed and my cat thinks I’ve well and truly lost it. Bridge to Terabithia is a great story. I have yet to see the movie (I’m almost afraid to really) because I feel like they’ll concentrate too much on Terabithia itself with the fancy graphics teased in the trailer and not enough on the real world.

This book is about two very different children learning from each other and a great loss at the end that, even now, makes me cry. I mean, I’m kind of a sucker for sad things in movies, but books don’t often get me. It’s good to know that after all these years, this one still does.

The world of rural Virginia is still very much the same. The underprivileged still suffer, abuse still happens, and gender roles are still strictly enforced. Really, one could pretend this were any year and probably still see the small back water town the book gives you as it’s world. The characters too withstand the test of time. If this book didn’t have a giant medal stating 1978 on the cover, you’d probably have no idea when it was written were it not for the pricing of things in the story ($3 for a lunch at the Smithsonian - god what a steal.)

I definitely recommend this book. I also definitely recommend a box of tissues for the last third.

The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.

Tracie McMurray

** spoiler alert **
           I cried like a baby. I saw the movie when it came out, but it has been quite awhile. This story is touching and wonderful.

mighty dragon 

Trever

** spoiler alert **
           The only thing I remember about this is that she dies, I think in the ravine.

Noah Warner

** spoiler alert **
           4.6-4.8 stars
Wow. What can I say that hasn’t been said…
This book is powerful, from showing the importance of a child’s imagination, to how difficult it can be to cope over a tragic event and how coping is drastically different for everyone. This book is also so well written, and kept me going, “just one more chapter…” until all 13 were over and I was just sitting on my bed with tears in my eyes. I really hope the movie portrays the book well, but I really don’t want to see it, I’m sure they focused on the magical element way too much in the movie, which, while isn’t bad, is annoying considering that it’s a small part of the book compared to the other themes the book talked about.

Aly Valenz

Bridge to Terribithia is about a boy named Jesse Aaron’s. All he ever cared about was being the fastest runner in the fifth grade. ( boys only ) He could’ve been , that is … until Leslie moved to town. At first he thought she was odd, that is until  Leslie shows him how powerful imagination can truly be.

Analise Amaral

This book is very important to me. It was first read to me in class as a 5th grader. I just now finished my junior year of high school and every time I read or think of this book I think fo how it made me feel back then and how my 5th grade teacher sounded as she read it, also how the ending hurt the whole class and left us amazed. This book is for sure one that impacted my childhood reading and I’ll always be grateful for 5th grade me giving it a chance, so I for sure recommend.

Georgia Carr

Chris Aldrich

Somehow I not only missed this as a kid, but I apparently never even read the book jacket as it wasn't anything at all like what I'd expected given the covers I'd seen over the years. A nice way to spend an hour and a half, but really, I should have read it when I was 10.

Bridge To Terabithia

Euodias

Jessica Williamson

2.75

I didn't love this but I didn't hate it either?

Honestly, the end is what brought it around for me. The rest of it was just boring. 

I knew the big "drama" that happens so I wasn't shocked but man did the aftermath shake me! 

Yeah, the end it was saved this. Otherwise, just another boring classic. I'm not a classic reader. And I know that.

Jayarna La Bozzetta

Had to bump it up to 5 stars for the ending. Actually made me tear up.

Jeni Enjaian

A review from my old blog...

In most cases I wish that I had read the book before I saw the movie based on it but in this case I am glad that I saw the movie first. I don't think that I would have wanted to watch the movie if I had known about the major twist that I caught only one allusion before hand too in the book. (I caught this only because I already knew what was coming).

While I don't agree with Paterson's worldview the book is excellent.

Barbara Rosas

Esta historia me enamoro, me encanto y me rompió el corazón.
Me quede sin palabras.

All summer, Jess pushed himself to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, and when the year's first school-yard race was run, he was going to win.But his victory was stolen by a newcomer, by a girl, one who didn't even know enough to stay on the girls' side of the playground. Then, unexpectedly, Jess finds himself sticking up for Leslie, for the girl who breaks rules and wins races. The friendship between the two grows as Jess guides the city girl through the pitfalls of life in their small, rural town, and Leslie draws him into the world of imaginations world of magic and ceremony called Terabithia. Here, Leslie and Jess rule supreme among the oaks and evergreens, safe from the bullies and ridicule of the mundane world. Safe until an unforeseen tragedy forces Jess to reign in Terabithia alone, and both worlds are forever changed. In this poignant, beautifully rendered novel, Katherine Paterson weaves a powerful story of friendship and courage.

Dinda

I love Leslie and I’m so damn in love with Jess and Leslie’s friendship. This is absolutely perfect light-reading during my hometown holiday! Wanna hug the story {}.

Shannon Jade

I read this in primary school, it was well loved by myself and all of my classmates. An enchanting story for children.

Erin 

I was not a fan of this book, and certainly not a fan at the unfortunate ending. I was a heartbroken child and I felt betrayed. I may have grown up now, but I still refuse to watch the movie. Childhood grudges run hard.

Bridge to Terabithia Grades 5 - 6

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