"Maybe some day when he was grown, he would write her a letter and tell her that Leslie Burke had thought she was a great teacher or something. Leslie wouldn't mind. Sometimes like the Barbie doll you need to give people something that's for them, not just something that makes you feel good giving it." (PG. 125)

John Newbery Medal- 1977

Let's remember this is set in the 1970s and language, attitudes, and thoughts were different if we compare them to now. I read reviews about kids getting fat shamed and ignorant gender roles, which is right, but also it was the 1970s.

I LOVED this classic so much. I can't even believe I've never read it. I used to think it was a book like "Narnia" and am so glad it was not and that it is so much more than that.

I loved Jess and Leslie's friendship and watching them become friends was so beautiful. There are moments of tenderness and hope here. The ending threw me off and I developed water in my eyes that wouldn't stop.

Beautifully written book about the need to feel love and accepted and little glimpses of family life.

বইটা পড়ার সময় অজান্তে চোখের কোনে পানি জমে গিয়েছিল।
আর শেষ করার পর এখন বুকটা হাহাকার করে উঠল।
এভাবেও মনটা খারাপ করে দেওয়া যায় :/

I watched the movie when I was a child. A few months ago I saw this book on my shelf and decided to greet my inner child again. It was completely and utterly worth it... I know this is a children's book and a very very short read, but the joy, sadness, confusion and life lessons that this book carries literally made me cry in the end. If you want to get in touch with your inner child and still get all the emotional and deeo feels, I highly recommend this book to you.

”You never know ahead of time what something’s really going to be like”


(Cropped from the paperback cover illustration: Puffin Books, 2015)

Yes, I cried so much I couldn’t properly see to finish the last chapter.

I clearly remember watching the movie back in 2007, the rich imagined world and that adventure Leslie and Jess created for themselves. But for the life of me I could not remember how it all ended. So I grabbed the book of my shelf and decided to find out.
Now I know that I mentally blocked-out the end; because just thinking of Jess’ reaction makes tears well-up in my eyes.

I love how this book show the readers just how to use their imaginations - How to build your own world and live your own adventure. Even as an adult I’m tempted kick reality out and go live in my own world.
I like that Katherine starts of this book kind of slow and boring and then picks up the pace and voyage as the fantasy world grow.

The end just striped me raw. The way Jess’ feelings are expressed and how he deals just ripped out my heart.

Bridge to Terabithia is one of the more memorable books that I've read, because of the powerful nature of it, especially the ending. The characters have stuck with me over the years. And I'll never forget the story.

But the first act is so boring and slow that I have to reflect it in my review with a four-star rating. Don't give up on this one. It really does get good.

Here’s another "great" book about a dysfunctional group of people. (This family might even be worse than the family in Al Capone Does My Shirts). I can’t remember a single time the entire family got along – including Christmas! But if you’re wanting some world-class sibling fight scenes, look no further. There’s some prize-winning battles in here.

Along with the constant brawls, is the continuous use of the Lord’s name. I’m not sure why the family mentions God so often since after the mother got mad at the preacher three years ago, they only attend church on Easter; not that the rest of the family cares – they all think church is boring.

And then there’s the crush the boy has on his teacher. But it seems to be reciprocated. What’s up with that? She gives this ten-year-old special attention in class, even taking him out for a day (just the two of them – kind of like a “date”).

While the book does end with the brother taking his little sister into his imaginary land (in the place of his friend), I just can’t see that that makes up for everything else. That’s a lot of wading just to get to something like three sweet paragraphs at the end.

Children's Bad Words
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 17 Incidents: crud, shut up, d*mn, b*tched, durn, durned, heck, dang, h*ll

Name Calling - 23 Incidents: hippie, peacenik, stupid, dumbhead, Yellow-bellied sapsucker, dumb, yeller, dumb, dunce, dumb dodo

Scatological Terms - 1 Incident: bl**dy (as in lots of blood)

Religious Profanities - 42 Incidents: Lord, thank the Lord, for heaven's sake, good gosh, oh my God

Religious & Supernatural - 17 Incidents: Magic "...it could be a magic country like Narnia..." Reference to God's attitude at Creation "Like God in the Bible, they looked at what they had made and found it very good." Spirits "'This is not an ordinary place,' she whispered. 'Even the rulers of Terabithia come into it only at times of greatest sorrow or of greatest joy. We must strive to keep it sacred. It would not do to disturb the Spirits.'" Ghost in a drawing "How could you make a ghost come out of the fog?" A religion of "magic" is mentioned followed by a prayer. "'O God,' she began. She was more at home with magic than religion. 'O Spirits of the Grove.' 'Thy right arm hast given us the victory.' He couldn't remember where he had heard that one, but it seemed to fit. Leslie gave him a look of approval. She took up the words. 'Now grant protection to Terabithia, to all its people, and to us its rulers.' 'Aroooo.' Jess tried hard not to smile. 'And to its puppy dog.' 'And to Prince Terrien, its guardian and jester. Amen.' 'Amen.'" A boy makes a girl swear on the Bible never to tell a secret he wants to keep. Church attendance "Since Momma got mad at the preacher three years back, Easter was the only time in the year that the Aarons went to church and it was a big deal. His mother always cried poor, but she put a lot of thought and as much money as she could scrape together into making sure she wouldn't be embarrassed by how her family looked." Children fight, not wanting to attend church. The argument is primarily about clothes. Church is referred to as "boring." "Ellie said she would go to church if Momma would let her wear the see-through blouse, and Brenda would go if she at least got a new skirt." "''Cause if you don't believe the Bible'--May Belle's eyes were huge--'God'll damn you to hell when you die.'" Children suggest going to "inquire of the Spirits what this evil might be..." Children chant and "pray" to the "Spirits" of the grove. Hell and whether or not children are sent there is briefly discussed. The conclusion of the conversation is: "'Lord, boy, don't be a fool. God ain't gonna send any little girls to hell.'" A bird hopping is taken as a "sign from the Spirits" because they made a "worthy offering." "Father, into Thy hands I commend her spirit." A young girl swears on the Bible that she will keep a secret, emphasizing that she is swearing to something higher than Momma or her siblings.

Romance Related - 22 Incidents: A childhood romance/crush with initials carved onto a desk. A reaction to a beautiful girl is noted as causing "Even his toes had felt warm and tingly." The next paragraph notes that "...she gave him a look with those blue eyes of hers that made him zing like one of the strings she was strumming." Childhood romance "Girl friend", "kiss you" and "could go to you-know-where and warm his toes" are all referenced. Lust related "Jess kept having visions of Mrs. Myers dressed only in a pink corset being weight in." Girl Friend "Brenda and Ellie always managed some remark about 'girlfriend.'" Children write a "love letter". "Dearest Janice", and it is signed "kisses." A child is accused of having a "secret love" in another place. Children have a 'date' "'Reckon you all know that Janice has a heavy date with you know who.'" Date referenced. Childhood relationships "Billy yelled a cuss word, and the entire back seat plunged into a heated discussion as to whether Janice Avery and Willard Hughes were or were not in love and were or were not seeing each other secretly. Boyfriends referenced. A child's "sweetheart" is mentioned.
Being close to a girl made a boy feel "dizzy from the closeness." A boy has a crush on his teacher: "Miss Edmunds was one of his secrets. He was in love with her... This was too real and too deep to talk about, even to think about very much. Her long swishy black hair and blue, blue eyes ... and she had this soft floaty voice that made Jess squish inside... she was gorgeous. And she liked him, too. *A few other similar instances are indicated a few other times. "He knew she was happy to be with him, and that was enough to know. A boy has a crush on his teacher: She would bend her head down close to his face to give some explanation or ask him a question, her black hair falling across her shoulders. Men would stare at her instead of the pictures, and Jess felt they must be jealous of him for being with her. The teacher as she talks with the boy: "Her hair brushing his cheek as she leaned over to look at it." Thoughts across a boy's mind: "Leslie--dead--girl friend--rope--broke--fell--you--you--you." Bosomy: "He could see the seventh graders headed for the bus--the huge bossy bosomy girls and the mean, skinny, narrow-eyed boys." Mentions immodest clothing: "'C'mon, Leslie,' he said, and then he made himself turn and give Janice Avery one of those look-overs from frizz blond hair, past too tight blouse and broad-beamed jeans, to gigantic sneakers." A reference to Twinkies "padding" someone's "bottom." After picking up a puppy "'Watch it,' Jess cautioned. 'It sprays worse'n a water pistol.'" The conversation continues: "'Is it male or female?' and then a reply 'Boy.'

Attitudes/Disobedience - 36 Incidents: 4 year old throws a tantrum and is disciplined. It is stated that "Four-year-olds were a pure pain." A child speaks of hating another. "I hate Joyce Anne."
Bullying: "They would even stand outside the girls' room first thing every morning and make the little girls give them their milk money before they'd let them go to the bathroom." A child accuses another of having stolen "'She stole my Twinkies!'" A child's anger is encouraged "'You gotta kill Janice Avery. Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!'" Followed by "'You gotta beat her up into a million pieces!'" Follow up on page 50: "'It ain't as good as seeing her beat to a million pieces.'" It is noted that someone smokes in the girls bathroom. A threat "'Jess Aarons, I'm going to kill you.'" Lie "'You lie, Billy Morris!'" Cursing "Billy yelled a cuss word..." Anger and Revenge "'She deserves everything she gets and then some.'" Arguments and speculation over boyfriends and girlfriends.
Theft "He even stole paper and crayons from school to do it with." Lie "'Gotta do an errand for my mother,' he lied." "Jess stole a ribbon from Brenda's drawer..." Anger "But the silly cars kept falling off at the curves until his father was cursing at them with impatience." Anger "'Cheap junk.' His father kicked at the floor dangerously near the track." A child's tantrum. "If he yelled at her to get the heck off him, she'd stick her index finger in the corner of her mouth and holler. Which would, of course, crank up his mother." This continues through the next paragraph, where his mother seems to scold him. Cursing "next a string of cuss words which were too loud to be blurred by the closed door." Dishonesty "'I told her to just pretend she didn't know what on earth Wilma and Bobby Sue had said...'" Threatening "He grabbed her shoulders and made her look him in the face. She blinked in the dim light like a startled chicken. 'You listen here, May Belle Aarons,' he whispered fiercely, 'I catch you following me again, your life ain't worth nothing.'" Keeping information from Mama. "If I know them, they'll trick new clothes out of somebody. It would make you throw up to see how those girls make a spectacle of themselves at church." Girls behave in a way to draw attention to themselves at church, hoping to draw a "jealous eye." "Why are you so mean to me?" "Will you shut up, May Belle? You'll have everyone in the whole house woke up with that big mouth of yours." "'Tell Momma what?' 'How you just stand there staring at me when I ain't got my clothes on.' Lord. She thought he was enjoying it. 'Yeah, well,' he said, heading for the door so she wouldn't throw anything else at him. 'Pretty girl like you. Can't hardly help myself.' He could hear her giggling as he crossed the kitchen." "He didn't want her waking Momma up before he got away. He was scared to look back even after he was in the car and on the main road for fear he'd see his mother screaming after him." "He knew she was happy to be with him, and that was enough to know." A boy secretly goes on a "date" with his teacher. His attitude at the end of the date is: "It didn't matter how angry his mother was. She'd get over it. And it was worth it." A boy believes his parents are lying to him about his friend's death. An argument over whether or not a boy is grieving a death: "'Will you shut your mouth, Brenda Aarons?' His mother sprang forward, the pancake turner held threateningly high. 'Well, Momma, he's just sitting there eating pancakes like nothing happened. I'd be crying my eyes out.'" A boy hits a girl in the face "as hard as he had ever hit anything in his life." **Note that he feels bad about this later, and wants to tell her he is sorry but is too tired to find the right words. Anger - a boy screams and throws papers and paints.
"'I hate her,' Jess said through his sobs. 'I hate her. I wish I'd never seen her in my whole life.'" **Note that Jess later repents of these comments, saying: "'I didn't mean that about hating her,' he said. 'I don't know what made me say that.' His father nodded to show he understood." A boy refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance when told to by his teacher. He thinks: "... he didn't really care. What could she do to him, after all?"

Conversation Topics - 12 Incidents: A boy has a secret which is that he is "in love" with a girl. It's his teacher that he's in love with. Teasing/Bullying/Peer Pressure "Jess had written about football, which he really hated, but he had enough brains to know that if he said drawing, everyone would laugh at him." A girl has more compassion for animals than people: "Maybe I got this thing for Janice like you got this thing for killer whales." A child's perception of parents "It had never occurred to Jess that parents were meant to be understood any more than the safe at the Millsburg First National was sitting around begging him to crack it. Parents were what they were; it wasn't up to you to try to puzzle them out. There was something weird about a grown man wanting to be friends with his own child. He ought to have friends his own age and let her have hers." Smoke is mentioned "Besides, the smoke is so thick in there you need a gas mask." Again, a girl has more compassion for animals than people and is prodded by a boy to do the right thing/good deed for a person: "He looked at her. 'Well,' he said. 'What should we do?' 'Do?' she asked. 'What do you mean what should we do?' How could he explain it to her? 'Leslie. If she was an animal predator, we'd be obliged to try to help her.' Leslie gave him a funny look." "Did you know her father beats her?"
Theft - It is discussed about charging clothes, wearing them and returning them. The family fights over this. "I'm a liberated woman, Jess Aarons. When I invite a man out, I pay." An argument over whether or not a boy is grieving a death: "'Will you shut your mouth, Brenda Aarons?' His mother sprang forward, the pancake turner held threateningly high. 'Well, Momma, he's just sitting there eating pancakes like nothing happened. I'd be crying my eyes out.'" It is noted that a girl was cremated. Again it is questioned whether or not people are appropriately grieving for the girl who died.

Parent Takeaway
The family in this story is entirely dysfunctional and it is paraded throughout the entire book. The parents do not get along with each other or the children, and the siblings do not get along either. There is constant fighting, taunting and lying. Maybe the only redeeming relational quality is that at the very end of the book, the main character invites his sister to be queen of his imaginary land of Terabithia. The two main characters have some odd discussions about Christianity and God, particularly about hell; and there is a few humanistic thoughts woven here and there. The main characters are definitely not examples of great character.

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I read this book during my Children's Literature class in college. It's an excellent book.

Por años busqué este libro, la película me encanta, ni siquiera recuerdo cuantas veces la he visto pero si la encuentro seguro que la veo de nuevo.
Esperaba más de la historia, para ser sincera y la forma en que está escrito no fue como pensé, la narrativa es buena pero no me agradó tanto como otros libros infantiles.
La historia es linda, eso no puedo negarlo, estuvo más o menos.

I do know and realise that Katherine Paterson won the 1978 Newbery Award for her 1977 middle grade novel Bridge to Terabithia, that it is considered both a classic of American children's literature and is for many seemingly also a cherished childhood favourite (and yes, also a novel which nicely demonstrates that friendship between boys and girls is not only possible but can also be textually rendered and achieved without hints of sexuality).

However, and that being said, when I had to read Bridge to Terabithia in 1978 (for grade six English), while I did find Katherine Paterson's depictions of Jesse and Leslie's developing friendship sweet and satisfying, I also still today very vividly do recall absolutely despising and often really wanting to scream about much of Paterson's presented text and many of the themes and contents encountered in Bridge to Terabithia and this primarily and especially because of the frequent instances of pretty horrible emotional abuse, such as for example the constant fat shaming comments and jokes, and which unfortunately my sixth grade teacher also tried to repeatedly use on me (according to her philosophy of toughening me up and to supposedly inspire me to try to go on a strict diet when she realised how much this all was textually bothering me, since I had major body weight issues as a tween and a teenager and that of course I textually noticed these while we were reading Bridge to Terabithia in class), something for which I of course will not and cannot actually blame blame at Katherine Paterson. But certainly, the fat shaming scenarios and comments present in Bridge to Terabithia and that my teacher was rather using these passages as a verbal attacking tool towards and against me and my own body weight, this naturally did not at all endear me to Bridge to Terabithia and to make me in any way enjoy Katherine Paterson's narrative all that much (and sorry, while reading Bridge to Terabithia in 2022 has in fact calmed down some of the reading outrage I felt in 1978, I still really do find the fat jokes a major source of discomfort and one that also will not go away and which I also do not want to go away either).

And furthermore, when we read Bridge to Terabithia in 1978, for me personally, Leslie Burke's death was not only a totally traumatic reading experience that felt almost ridiculously senseless and gratuitous to and for my twelve year old self but that Bridge to Terbithia also left me with recurring nightmares and the fear of drowning (and which no one really took seriously), and that yes, revisiting Bridge to Terabithia in 2022 has brought back those same feelings and fears and equally my frustrated childhood anger at how my teacher used the fat shaming aspects of Bridge to Terabithia against me. And while as an adult, I absolutely understand and appreciate why and how Katherine Paterson won the Newbery Award for Bridge to Terabithia, my inner child (and my memories), they still really do rather despise too much of Bridge to Terabithia for me to conssider more than a two star rating.

This children’s book is one that I read many years ago and liked it. But after chatting with my Goodreads friend, Sarah, I decided that I would read it again. Like Sarah, I liked it just as much the second time around!

It’s a wonderful coming of age story that revolves around family, friendship and dealing with grief. It’s easy to see why this book won the Newberry Medal. In this second time around, I was able to read the 40th anniversary edition in which author Katherine Paterson’s Afterword explains the “story behind the story” which was very moving.

This book is written for middle school aged children but would also appeal to adults.

I dimly remember reading this as a child. It seems not to have made much impression on me however, and considering I often read books above my age group, it might have been for that reason. I say this because I am not rating it low for traumatizing me as a kid, but because rereading it as an adult makes me annoyed at how a book with so many negative messages could win a Newberry.

Lets run down a few of them.

1. The sheer shallowness of Jesse's sisters as characters. It borders on misogyny, and I don't accuse books of that lightly. The two older sisters are thoughtless and often detestable, including after the big twist. May Belle is portrayed more sympathetically as just being kind of a puppy dog, but is still annoying and is the character used to talk about hell.

2. The weird attitudes on violence. One cringe-worthy passage is when Jesse, grieving over Leslie, slugs May Belle hard in the face because she asked if he saw her laid out. He feels bad about it, but good lord, could you imagine that today?

Another is how the school girl bully is weeping not so much over being abused, and hardcore, but the other kids knowing it and cruelly teasing her about it. And how kids need to defend parents who abuse.

"There was a rule at Lark creek, more important than anything Mr. Turner made up or fussed about. That was the rule that you never nuxed up troubles at home with life at school...It didn't matter if their own fathers were in the state hospital or the federal prison, they hadn't betrayed theirs, and Janice had."

And there's no real reflection on this. It just happens, and is taken for granted, even by the enlightened Leslie who seems more proud that she gave good advice than horrified by how many parents beat their kids.

3. As other reviewers said, this horrible chestnut in so many words:

If you cheat on your girl friend by going on a trip to an art museum with your teacher who you had a crush on, she will be dead and cremated when you come back.

The whole death plot twist has many odd messages. What is she trying to say? That if you try to escape, it's bad? Jesse uses art to escape his life, and it can't be a coincidence she died during his trip to an art museum. She died on the way to her own source of escape, the quiet place where she could believe all the good things about the rural life, and none of the bad.

If she died neutrally, say from a disease, it still would be a tragedy. But the manner of death is too linked to Jesse in a way that blames him for comfort, and that might be part of the trauma many kids feel when they read the book.

4. The death in general.

Reading it now, it's odd that for a book that might help kids deal with loss, how little of it actually is designed to do so. She dies when Jesse is away. She is cremated so he can't see the body. There was no service. Jesse has to make his own closure. It's done very briefly too.

It's odd. There's also the whole "punished for escapism," "she died to give him imagination," "too good to live," and other subtexts. What was striking about rereading it is how brief the death and aftermath is. It fades right into the "building a bridge" chapter, then it ends.

It's weird that a book with so many conflicting messages should be winning the most prestigious award in kids lit. I don't think hard themes should be avoided, but the book really doesn't handle them well. Heck, death is a hard subject for adults to deal with, let alone kids. Extra care should be taken, but if anything Bridge feels more like a realistic, literary take aimed as much for parents as kids.

While I've seen this book on various lists for years, I never got around to reading it & had no clue what it was about. I was in the Army when it was published. I know one or two of my kids read it, but it was one of the rare books that I didn't at least skim. (I think my wife read it, instead.) When I first started listening to it this morning, I didn't really get into it at first. It's well written, but wasn't really my thing. Still, it was short & I've been meaning to get around to it, so I kept on. I'm so glad I did.

It didn't really grab me until the last quarter & then it wouldn't let go. The end was incredible & really hit me right where I live. (If you don't know how the book ends, don't read this spoiler.) When I was 10 & in fifth grade, my father died. Paterson had a great model since her son had lost his best friend, a girl much like Leslie, when he was about the same age. She was struck by lightening.  Her characterization was wonderful & the ending is haunting.

My edition had an interview with Paterson & her son, David, who apparently illustrated some editions & had dealt with making this into a movie. It was well worth listening to. Paterson said The Yearling was one of her inspirations which isn't surprising.

Apparently this book is hotly debated & often banned by schools because, like the The Yearling, it deals with death. Some parents don't think their kids should even read about it; a damn fool idea, IMO. As David, I, & many others found out early, it happens. While there is no preparation for it, knowing that others have survived it does help, even fictional people. David also mentions in the interview that at the end of the first screening of the movie, the kids came out happy with the ending while it was the adults that only thought of the sad part. That's part of being a kid, I think. I sure thought the very end was happy, too.

Anyway, I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading this & I highly recommend it for all ages.