Your Name: Abhiram U. (7 Grader)
Book Title: Bridge to Terabithia
Number of Pages: 208
Book Author: Katherine Paterson
Why Title
I think the author chose this particular title for the book Bridge to Terabithia because the only way to go into Terabithia, the imaginary land of Leslie and Jesse, is to cross a bridge behind their houses. They would swing on a rope and cross a dry creek that filled up from rainwater as the seasons changed. This title also gives a hint to the ending, as Jesse finally builds a real bridge to Terabithia out of the Burke’s wood.
Summary
The book Bridge to Terabithia is about Jesse, a boy from Lark Creek Elementary who likes to run, has a passion and talent for drawing, and has a lot of issues in his family due to being poor and not getting attention from his parents. Jesse becomes friends with Leslie Burke, a girl who joins Lark Creek, is neighbors with Jesse, and has parents who are writers. Leslie is very unique, being the only girl who runs faster than all the boys and being very imaginative and creative. At first, Jesse doesn’t want to be friends with Leslie, but soon, they talk to each other very often and explore the woods behind their homes. Jesse and Leslie find an old rope hanging above a dry creek and swing across it, discovering a new imaginative land, Terabithia. In Terabithia, Jesse and Leslie are free to imagine whatever they want, and the Terabithians also live there. As Bridge to Terabithia goes on, Jesse and Leslie both evolve as characters, with Jesse facing his fears and becoming more imaginative, and Leslie learning more about Christianity, Easter, and Jesus from Jesse. While Jesse and May Belle find Jesus horrifying, Leslie, an Atheist, finds it interesting. Jesse and Leslie continue to go to Terabithia after school every day, but as fall and winter approach, more rainwater falls into the creek. Jesse feels more and more uncomfortable as the days come and go, while Leslie is even more excited to cross the filling-up pathway to Terabithia…
Favorite Scene
My favorite scene in Bridge to Terabithia is when Jesse presents Terabithia to his younger sister, May Belle. This is a great ending to this book because it shows how Jesse has evolved a lot as a character, becoming more nice to his sister and more imaginative. Jesse is teaching May Belle what Leslie had taught Jesse. Jesse is also helping continue on Leslie’s legacy, as she unfortunately died due to the rising creek. Jesse is introducing an extremely important topic to May Belle, imagination. Sometimes in life, when someone is facing hardships, using their imagination can completely change their view of life and can erase their problems. I also like this scene a lot because it shows that Jesse has made it up to May Belle after he slapped her. Jesse slapped May Belle because he was mad at her for wanting to “look at a dead body.”
Interesting Characters.
I think Jesse is the most interesting character. This is because readers could relate to him, as many young readers might also have a passion for running and art. Many readers could also relate to him because they don’t get attention from their family either. Jesse also has a lot of character development, becoming more kind to May Belle, more unique like Leslie, and more imaginative, like Leslie. Readers can clearly see that he has learned a lot from Leslie. Jesse has also faced his fears, finally being able to go into Terabithia alone. Jesse is more kind to May Belle by inviting her into Terabithia and by making her feel loved. Jesse also becomes more imaginative, guiding May Belle to imagine the Terabithians at the end of the book.
Conflict and Resolution.
The major problem in the story that Jesse and Leslie must overcome is dealing with their problems in the real world. They both get bullied often at school, Jesse is very poor, and Jesse isn’t noticed very often by his family, only being told by them to do his chores. However, they solve this problem by going to Terabithia, where they forget all their problems and live in the moment. Jesse doesn’t remember how poor he is, or the fact that his dad just lost his job while he is with Leslie in Terabithia. After Leslie dies, Jessie’s main problem becomes dealing with her death. However, he solves this problem as well by living in the moment. Jesse continues Leslie’s legacy by teaching his sister, May Belle, the importance of imagination and how it can really improve one’s life. Jesse also makes sure that no one else will die the same unfortunate death as Leslie.
Change
This story, the Bridge to Terabithia, is amazing and almost perfect. The only thing I would change about it is making it a bit more kid-friendly, as it talks about the loss of someone you love at the end. This might be a bit inappropriate for children in the ranges of grades 4 to 6, as they may not be able to deal with the tragic event. Otherwise, I would highly recommend this book because the author creates a perfect plot, a great ending, and teaches readers a valuable life lesson. Using your imagination can help you forget all of your problems that you have in the real world, making you live in the moment.
