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Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia
Audiobook3 hours

Bridge to Terabithia

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

This beloved Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss.

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.

Editor's Note

Powers of imagination…

This Newbury Award-winning classic is worth revisiting, if for its healing powers of imagination in the face of unfathomable tragedy alone.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateAug 18, 2009
ISBN9780061126093
Author

Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson is one of the world’s most celebrated and beloved authors. Among her many awards are two Newberys and two National Book Awards, and she was recently named a "Living Legend” by the Library of Congress. She has been published in more than 22 languages in a variety of formats, from picture books to historical novels.

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Reviews for Bridge to Terabithia

Rating: 4.354471544715447 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I lost count of how many fat jokes were in there. The characters are so mean!! But I guess the story line made up for it all. Everything fixed itself in the end. I also felt that Jesse's family rushed Jesse to get over Leslie's death too fast. Therefore, it made her death a little unsatisfying.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Heartbreakingly beautiful!!
    The way these two kids find each other, their true and deep friendship. It broke my heart, yet it filled it with joy and love.
    Wonderful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this chapter book. I read it as a child in 4th grade but I think that I got a lot more out of it reading it again. The story of Jess' struggle with his new best friends death is a great model for kids. The authors central message is about the importance of friendship and being open to new ideas and your imagination. They create Terabithia and turn the old woods into a new world just by using their imagination. But the book also talks about a tough subject, death. When she dies Jess denies it and almost does not acknowledge the fact that she died. This is probably what a lot of the young and old readers have gone through at some point. The story is relatable and teaches lessons about the importance of friendship and trust.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Bridge to Terabithia is a classic children’s novel about love, friendship, and grief that will appeal to children today as much as it has since it was published in 1977. The story focuses on Jess, a boy who lives on a farm with his parents, his four sisters, and a cow. Leslie moves in next door, and the two become friends. They find a place in the woods that they call Terabithia, accessible only by swinging on a rope across a ravine, and their friendship blossoms there. Then Leslie goes to Terabithia alone, and dies when the rope breaks and she falls into the ravine. Jess is left to cope with his grief. The foreshadowing of Leslie’s death felt heavy throughout the story, but fits with Jess’s trepidation at crossing the ever-more-dangerous ravine. The writing is simple and descriptive, and it follows Jess’s point of view while adding eloquence that Jess himself would not have been capable of. The artistic ink drawings that appear about once per chapter are decorative, not narrative. The short length of the chapters and the book overall help the action to build and resolve quickly. Bridge to Terabithia feels like a reminder of childhood magic, in spite of its tragedy, and children today will respond to that magic as much as they have for the last thirty years. Highly Recommended. Grades 5-9.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "Bridge to Terabithia" is the story of a friendship between Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke who create an imaginary world only the two of them know about, Terabithia. Jess and Leslie face common problems in schools like being picked on, trying to fit in, and taking a stand. Yet, they are able to deal with them through their imaginary world.I liked this story due to the very realistic main character. Jess is an average ten-year-old boy who deals with trying to fit in. For example, when Leslie, who is out of the ordinary, comes on the bus, she calls Jess, but Jess who is intentionally sitting by May Belle, pretends he doesn't hear her. Another example is when Jess hears of Leslie's death after building a strong friendship. Jess griefs in a very real way. Not only does he cry, but he screams that he wishes he never met her and he hates her. Many children may react in this way due feeling angry that they are left without the person any longer.I also liked this story due to tough issues it touches on such as death of a best friend. The friendship between Jess and Leslie becomes inseparable as the story goes on. But Jess is left to deal with all the emotions and grief of losing his best friend when she dies. However, Leslie changes Jess forever. From their friendship, he learned a lot about himself and was able to make a closer connection to himself as well as his family. I think it shows the reader how the mark his best friend made on him will last the rest of his lifetime. I think the main message is of friendship and just be who you really are. Leslie and Jess could be themselves with each other and weren't afraid of being judged. Leslie helped Jess to hold on to that even if she was no longer with him.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary:This book is a great book about two children who hated each other at first, but find common ground and become the best of friends. The friends develop an imaginary land called Terabithia were all there problems are no more across a creek, but when tragedy strikes and the young girl is accidentally killed while trying to get across to the magical land, the young boy can not face what has happened to his friend. At the end of the book, the boy learns to cope with what had happened by developing a stronger bond and relationship with his younger sister and helping keep Terabithia alive.Personal Reaction: I love this book and think it is a wonderful book for a classroom. It has great detail and could be easily used for an art project or a relaxation thinking project. Students can easily relate to the characters and the difficulties that they face. This book helps children understand that death is normal and unfortunate, but that when it happens, life goes on for the rest of us. Wonderful book with so many opportunities.Classroom Extension:1) We could talk about bridge safety and water safety and how the children could have done differently.2) We could paint pictures of what we think Terabithia would have looked like across the creek.3) We could do a relaxing exercise by closing our eyes and letting me read a section with a lot of detail. Then when we opened them we could paint what we thought about while our eyes were shut.4) We could talk about our Terabithia and draw pictures of our special place.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a beautiful and touching book. I wish I hadn't been sitting in the public library when I finished it, because even though I've seen the movie and knew what was coming, I was a blubbering mess. It's a lovely tale of friendship and adventure and I recommend to anyone from child to teen to adult who hasn't already read it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read this for the "A Childhood Favorite" part of my 2018 reading challenge. It certainly sucked me in right away, then left me feeling lost and confused at the end. I was not expecting it to be so sad.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A touching if somewhat dated young adult novel about friendship, loyalty, understanding one's strengths and weaknesses, and the complicated feelings surrounding death. I wish I had read this when I was younger.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Jess has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the school. He almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie, is faster than him. The two become close friends and spend most days in the woods where Leslie lives. They invent an imaginary land called Terabithia. One day, Leslie goes to Terabithia alone and a horrible tragedy happens. I think this book could be a great one to read in a 5th or 6th grade classroom. It could really get the classroom interested and paying attention to the story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Heartbreaking but beautiful
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Bridge to Terabithia is a story about a boy named Jess, who befriends a new girl in town named Leslie. The two become fast friends and begin building an imaginary world, where Jess and Leslie can do and be anything that they dream. This story touches on tragedy and the importance of friendship. This book could be used in an ELA classroom, and I personally read this book when I was in middle school. For instruction, I would use this book to introduce perspective, foreshadowing, and imagery to my classes.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Don't believe the short description. This book isn't light hearted and fun. I kept waiting for the story to get better - it got worse.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A charming, quick read that does not sell short the emotional and intellectual depth that children are more than capable of.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It has been a while since I last read Bridge to Terabithia, but it’s one of the stories that has stayed with me. It was probably the first book that had an emotional impact on me (and most of my class). Excellent for younger readers.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was hands-down my favorite book as a kid. I have not seen the movie, and I don't intend to, because there is no way that it can possibly live up to the emotions and thoughts I had while reading this book when I was young.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Katherine Patterson does a wonderful job illustrating how a child deals with death when his friend suffers a terrible accident. The book is about a boy from the country who meets a peculiar girl from the city that recently moved to the country. They become best friends and create an imaginary world name Terabithia. The story is very well written and one is able to experience the emotions that Jess is going through with the death of her friend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This fantasy/adventure story, is about two friends with great imagination. The two preteen's create a whole new fantasy world to escape reality. Just when things are good, Jess' life turns upside down. This adventure book is fun and very imaginative, it will have you in tears as well. Students can make predictions about the book and its main characters, they can also complete character studies as part of an in-depth look at Jess and Leslie's friendship.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I never read this book in my childhood, but I wished I had. Such meaning packed into so few words, and so many "life lessons", if you will. A true coming-of-age tale that's both heartbreaking and endearing.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    ... so I am probably the only person in the world who honestly didn't like this book.

    I had to read it in school when I was quite young, and even though I was totally capable of reading the book it was just hard work for me.

    It felt forced, and the character of Leslie Burke felt almost like a manic pixie dream girl to me.

    I don't know. I'm probably being cruel.

    But I wish the book had been more detailed, had more depth, reached me more. The narrative voice was consistent, but I didn't like any of the characters.

    It just left me totally empty, and it's such a shame because everyone else seems to totally love this book.

    Obviously, don't take my word for it, if you're interested in reading it, but I just didn't like this book at all.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I absolutely love this story. I really like how imagination is incorporated through the whole story. I would definitely say that the main idea behind this story is using your imagination and finding true friendship. Jess really had no friends before he met Leslie. His family was so big that he was often forgotten. But when they met, he knew that he would have a lifetime friend. (or so he thought) I really appreciate what this story says about using your imagination and being yourself. I like that things that were in Jess and Leslie's real world were translated into Terabithia. Any problem they had in their every day life was conquered in Terabithia which made it easier to conquer in reality. The one problem I had with this story was that Leslie died. I understand that Jess needed to have a realization about his family and realize that Leslie could not be the only person in his life. But I think that killing off the female heroine in this story was a little too tragic. That being said, I do like what happened to Jess's character as a result of her death.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I hadn't read this book since I was a kid, so I decided I should read it again. As I was reading it, I kept thinking that I probably wasn't going to cry this time, and it wasn't quite as heart wrenching as I remembered. But sure enough, by the last two chapters, I had tears streaming down my face. Such lovable characters!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Leslie. I really liked how she was such a free spirit and never cared what anyone thought about her. I also really like how she was so inspirational to Jess. I think she really helped Jess open up and become a more caring person by the end of the book. I also liked the plot and how their were multiple climaxes and conflicts. From Jess not liking Leslie, to becoming her friend, to building Terrabethia, to Leslie dying, there was so much happening in the book that it always kept my attention. I think the overall message of the book was that don’t judge someone by their looks and that you should give everyone a fair chance in life. If Jess were to never give Leslie a chance, he would of never experienced the meaning of a true friend and been able to experience Terrabithia. Also, using you imagination like Jess and Leslie can help you escape reality and just enjoy time spend with others.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'm sure had I read this as a kid I would've found it much more magical than as an adult - I completely acknowledge that. I remember a lot of my friends reading this when we were in elementary school and I also remember hearing little rumbles of it being incredible controversial (moms talking to other moms and so forth). Reading it as an adult, I don't get what all the fuss was about! I asked my mom after reading it if she remembered what the big deal was and she just kind of rolled her eyes and said it was because one of the characters had drowned in the end and many adults thought that younger kids shouldn't be reading about that sort of thing.Imagine my shock! That was it!? I'd had The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe read TO ME when I was younger, and the characters sacrifice the most hopeful main character in the book (and in enough detail to a little kid that I was so devastated over Aslan - my heart was shattered). If the Chronicles of Narnia books are completely acceptable to be read to a much younger child, shouldn't it be okay for a kid to read, on their own, a book with a bit of tragedy but so many wonderful lessons to be learned?But I digress.This book, reading it as an adult, was just fine - a quick read with a main character that I think many kids could relate to. I would recommend this to younger readers for sure - it would be a great book to do a 'read along' with and to have conversations as they work through the book. While it didn't alter the way I view my life in any way, and it wasn't so amazing that I'll ever pick it up to reread it, it was still a good book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I liked this book for many reasons. First, I liked the character development, particularly in the character Jess. I enjoyed his character because he seemed real and redeemed himself for any wrong actions he made throughout the book by the end. For example, in the last scene of the book, Jess makes his little sister the queen of Terabithia, making up for pushing her away when he could play with Leslie. Second, I liked how the book tackled difficult issues that children often do not know how to handle. Death often takes the innocence of children and changes their outlook on life, but I hope that the way this book looks at death, it can help children who are having a difficult time. For example, Jess is first in denial about Leslie’s death which is a very real reaction to death. This can help children understand that not everyone will react in the same way to the same tragedy. The main idea of this book is that difficult times will always be thrown your way, but it is important to face your fears.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was a great read that I really enjoyed. I liked this book for many reasons. One reason was the character development of Jess. In the beginning, he starts out as an insecure boy who is greatly affected by what others have to say. He wants to prove himself by being the best runner in fifth grade and practices all summer so he can outperform his classmates. He is afraid to share his friendship with Leslie around other people for fear of what they will say about him. Jess is also insecure about his passion for drawing because his family admonishes him every time he draws and his classmates do not think he should be drawing. However, he changes by the end of the story and develops the confidence to be himself. Another reason I liked this book was the dramatic ending. While it may have seemed too severe to some readers that Leslie dies in the end, I thought her death made the story a powerful read. She unfortunately died while on the way to Terabithia, but it showed the value of human life and how life can be fleeting. Leslie's impact on Jess truly changed him and I think her death made the influence even more powerful than it would have if she was still alive. The main idea of this book is the value of friendship and how friends can make a big difference in our lives if we open our hearts to them.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    [If read as a kid] Ha, ha! Fuck your innocence! No, seriously, fuck it right in the ass.There's a nature preserve out where I work. The preserve has a small section adjacent to my employer's building, with the majority of it being reachable by a shitty and not entirely safe wooden "bridge". As such, I've nicknamed it Terabithia.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved reading Bridge to Terabithia. I loved the book because of the dialect the author incorporated into the dialogue and the figurative language. The dialogue throughout the entire book is very southern and old fashioned. For example, Ellie says, “I know, Momma. We’ll just take the five dollars Daddy promised us. No more’n that.” This dialect sets a tone for the book and allows the reader to connect more to the storyline and the background of all the characters. I also love the extensive use of figurative language. Similes and metaphors are incorporated throughout every chapter in the book. A simile is incorporated on the first page of the book when the author says, “ He didn’t worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill…” I think the use of figurative language allows the reader to paint a picture in his or her head of the setting and the characters. The main theme of this book is to treasure the friendships that you have in your life and to be grateful for the people who love you.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Summary: Bridge to Terabithia takes place in a small town shortly after the Vietnam War. The story is told from the perspective of a young boy named Jess. He gets a new neighbor right before school starts. She is his age, a girl named Leslie. At first he can’t stand her because she out runs him at school and she acts strange for a girl. Eventually he changes his mind about her and they become the best of friends. Together they invent a magical world called Terabithia and name themselves King and Queen. Over the year, they share so much with each other. Jess, who is handier, shows Leslie and her dad a few things about building. Leslie, who comes from a family of writers, tells Jess all of the stories she knows. They spend almost every day together until one day tragedy strikes. Jess is forced to deal with a situation most children his age never face. We read along as he progresses through the stages of grief from denial to eventually acceptance. In the end, he learns to cherish what he had with Leslie and decides to share Tarebithia with his little sister. Personal Experience:I laughed and cried while reading this book. I read it before in the 8th grade, but since it has been so long I decided to read it again. It was so much different reading it as an adult. As a child, I only remembered the magic of Terabithia. I remember the count jester puppy and the club house they built. And I remember it being sad. Now that I’m older I can relate more to the adults in the book. I also understand more about the way Jess behaves when he finds out about his friend. It was harder to imagine one of my kids experiencing this king of loss than it was to imagine myself as Jess. Classroom Extension Ideas:1.)I would have the class imagine our own world like Terabithia. We could draw our positions (King, Queen, and Knight….etc.) from a hat. We could have a class discussion about what our kingdom would look like and what creatures we would have to face. 2.)I would have the children draw themselves as their given roles inside the new imaginary Kingdom.3.)Aside from general classroom extension, this book is a good example of the grieving process and children suffering a great loss. If I ever have a student going through this, I would recommend this to them or even read it with the entire class to find common ground.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    It was a so-so read. I read it because it was made into a movie and from what little bits and pieces that I'd seen of it, it looked good. However, the movie dramatization was better -- and perhaps necessary, as well, as I found the book storyline to be rather plain.