Of course I read this as a kid, but the only thing that stayed with me was Terabithia; the entire mundane plot (that is, 95% of the book) entirely vanished from my memory.

The class elements went right over my head as a kid, which is strange because they're so important to the book. Also, I often find now that when I read children's books, things seem unrealistically harsh to me -- but they didn't seem that way to me when I was the target age. Apparently I've forgotten a lot about being a kid.

One thing I haven't forgotten is how much strategy is required to be a kid, and this book captures that wonderfully. Jess is forever managing people -- to avoid getting beaten up by other kids, to avoid being punished by parents and teachers, to carve out a little time and privacy.

My chief problem with this book is that Jess actually is indirectly responsible for Leslie's death, and that's too heavy a responsibility to put on a kid. It's like writing a story in which the monster under the bed is a real monster.

Bridge to Terabithia, while quite an easy read, is replete with life's lessons, especially on loss, death, and friendships. The plot centers around the friendship between its main protagonists, fifth-graders Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke, who, together, create an imaginary kingdom they christen Terabithia, where they would escape and pretend to be royalty. That is, until tragedy strikes...

They're not really school outcasts per se, but Jess and Leslie find comfort in each other's company ~ a situation I can completely relate to, having a lot of acquaintances but very few close (and true) friends. The book also dealt much with teenage and peer problems, family and money issues, and annoying siblings (especially this!) ~ realities that every single one of us are bound to encounter sometime in our lives, one way or another. This is enough reason for me to like the book.

One thing though, that didn't quite sit well with me was the fact that Leslie called her parents by their first names -- Bill and Judy -- which, no matter how hard I try to reconcile with culture and tradition, came off as disrespectful and crass. Maybe it's just the conventional me that's speaking here, but I think that, no matter how liberated or "cool" a family may be, it's just not right to call your parents by their first names. It's too casual, and much too disrespectful for my taste.

I also thought there was a hidden sexual attraction between Jess and his music teacher, Miss Edmunds, which the author (wisely) chose not to belabor upon. Practically every one of us has his/her own pet crushes on one of our mentors during the day, I'm sure, but for Miss Edmunds to actually ask Jess to go with her to a museum one day, and to justify paying for Jess' meal by saying that when she asks "a man out", she gets to pay for the food (or something to that effect)... Well. Something just starts to tick in my brain.

All in all though, it was an OK book. Nothing exceptional, nothing bad, either.

I think this is a perfect little book. It hits every note like a clear bell ringing out to your soul calling your to the importance of life. It won the Newbery Medal and it deserves that medal. This is a love story about two friends, Jesse and Leslie. There is no dating, or kissing - there is just this deep underlying connection with another person who gets you. This book made me cry in the best way possible. I am so glad I gave this little book a chance. It's a Marvel.

I don't remember how old of a child I was when I read this book, but I do remember it was the first story to break my heart.

I vividly remember closing the novel after the final page and putting it back on my shelf, where it stayed for many, many years.

Sure, it was the pain. But more than that, I didn't want to break the spell: the magical green and golden glow that always filled my mind's eye at the thought of Terabithia.

Just this week, I decided to read it again.

And, man. It's beautiful as ever. I "read" this as an audiobook driving home from work each night, and I cried more than I'd like to admit.

So, so good.

৩.৮/৫

'ব্রিজ টু টেরাবিথিয়া' খুবই সুন্দর একটা বই। জেসলি অ্যারন - অর্থাৎ যার ক্যারেক্টার থেকে উত্তম পুরুষে বইটা লেখা হয়েছে; ৯-১০ বছর বয়সী এক বালক। যার কিনা ইচ্ছা ছিল ক্লাসে সবচেয়ে দ্রুততম বালক হওয়ার। অথচ তাদেরই বাসার কাছাকাছি বাড়িতে এসে ওঠে দুঃসাহসিক এক মেয়ে- লেসলি। খুবই আশ্চর্যজনক ভাবে তাদের বন্ধুত্বও হয়ে যায়। কিন্তু জেসের জীবনের সবচেয়ে সেরা দিনটাই সবচেয়ে জঘন্য দিন হয়ে ওঠে।
আপনজন হারানোর দুঃখ, চাইল্ডিস কাজকর্মের ভেতরে থেকেও বড়দের মতো আচরণ, মিস এডমান্ডসকে পছন্দ করা, বিরক্তিকর রকমের বড়ো দুইটা বোন থাকা, নিজেদের রাজ্য তৈরী করে রাজা, রানী হয়ে যাওয়া- ইত্যাদি ইত্যাদি গল্পটাতে আলাদা একটা টেস্ট এনে দিয়েছে।
ক্যারেক্টারগুলোর ব্যাপারে বলতে গেলে- 'লেসলি' মেয়েটা ঠিক আমার পছন্দমত একটা মেয়েই হয়েছে। (আই মিন, আমার যেমন মেয়েদের পছন্দ, কিংবা আমি নিজে যে টাইপের হতে চাই; ঠিক তেমনটাই।) এরপর ভালো লেগেছে ভাইয়ের নেওটা পিচ্চি 'মেরি বেল'কে। আরও ভালো লাগা দের মধ্যে 'জেস' তো আছেই।
ক্যাথেরিন প্যাটারসনের লেখার ধরণ ইম্প্রেসিভ ছিল। নাহয়- ছয় বছর বয়েসী বাচ্চা মেয়েকে আগে ডান পা পরে বাম পা ফেলার কথা বললে তাতে, 'ডান পা কোনটা ভুলে গেছি' টাইপ উত্তরই যুতসই। কিন্তু ছোটদের যে ডান বাম চেনা শিখতে সময় লাগে সেটা উল্লেখ করে এখানে তিনি দক্ষতার পরিচয় দিয়েছেন বৈকি। অনুভুতি গুলোর মধ্যেও কোন ফাঁক ছিল না। ১০ বছর বয়সী একটা ছেলে যেমন কান্নার আগেই নিজেকে সামলে নিয়ে নিজেকে বড় ছেলের মতো মনে করতে থাকে, সে ব্যাপারটা ফুটিয়ে তুলতেও তিনি ভুল করেননি।
আর... সালমান ভাইয়ার অনুবাদ নিয়ে নতুন করে কিছু বলার নেই। টেরাবিথিয়া থেকে দড়ি বেয়ে ফেরত যাওয়ার সময়, মজার দেশ কবিতার পঙক্তি উঠে আসার ব্যাপারটা ভালো ছিল। উনি বর্তমান বেস্ট অনুবাদকদের একজন।

প্রচ্ছদটাও সুন্দর, ম্যাজিকাল টাইপের।

সর্বশেষে মেইন কথা হচ্ছে, If you can read it with a pure heart, you'll really gonna love it forever and ever.

I love this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the end, when the girl dies, it's so sad!! I read it during class and fought back tears the entire time. The words are so perfect, so moving, it's like they reach out and yank you into the story.

ما رأيك في بلدة سرية كبيرة ، نُطلق عليها " تيرابيثيا" نكون حاكميها أنا وأنت....؟!..
مملكة حصينة ساحرة شيدها خيال " ليزلي " الجامح" لتصبح هى الحاكمة وصديقها " جيس" الحاكم...
لقد كانت فتاة في سن العاشرة مُتقدة الذكاء...رائعة...
كانت تتقن رياضة الركض برشاقة وجدارة وتقفز فوق أسوار الخوف بشجاعة بالغة....
برفقتها استطاع " جيس" أن يتعلم ماذا يعني أن تُصارع مخاوفك الصغيرة التي تعتريك...لن تتخطاها تماماً ولكن إياك أن تدعها تُحطمك..
انفطر قلبي لموتها وثقل تلك المأساة المروعة على قلب الصبي الصغير ولكن ها هو يبني جسراً يعبر فيه ذاك العالم المُبهر الذي كان في الخيال إلى الضفة الأخرى.....أتمنى لك حظاً موفقاً يا عزيزي....

You would think that even after seeing the movie and knowing how this ends I wouldn't cry, but here I am.
This book was very enjoyable! I can't remember if I read it as a kid, but it was definitely worth reading now that I'm older.
The writing is pretty and gives you a very country-vibe with vibrant imagery and cozy settings, but I felt like the characters lacked a lot of description. Maybe it’s a children’s book and i’m not used to the shorter pace, but it felt like a lot more needed to be fleshed out. The relationships between the characters. Day-to-day activities. Dialogue scenes. It all just happened very quickly and it was hard to gauge how much time was actually passing, and it felt like the characters and plot were progressing faster than they probably actually were.
I really need to pick up more children’s classics because reading a book written and presumably set in the 70s was so captivating! References to the Vietnam war and the fearlessness about talking about religion and God was just something I rarely see today, and adding in details so particular to the time period almost 50 years ago now was just very cool!
I couldn’t get the movie out of my head when I read this, even though I haven’t seen the movie in years. Baby josh hutcherson is so precious that I think it added a spark to the book just seeing his face in my mind. However, comparing the book to the movie was a little bit detrimental because I think I liked the movie a little more? Just because it took more time to flesh out the characters and add detail to the world of Terabithia, whereas in the book Terabithia was, ironically, rather underexplained.
I loved how it described Jess as having a nervous gut. There were references to Jess having anxiety in this and i’m glad it wasn’t portrayed as something like HE NEEDS TO MAN UP! HE’S AFRAID OF SWIMMING AND HIS DAD PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON HIM TO BE PERFECT, HE SHOULD BE THE MAN OF THE FAMILY! Instead it’s approached as if fear and shyness is natural and you need to work through it organically, and I thought that was really beautiful and encouraging.

A world created by the mind. A nice story for children and children like. Almost same with the movie but still it's nice to imagine the world in the words.

A 3stars rating for life is not sometimes all imagination we have to face reality what it is.

“Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity”

Who wouldn’t read this if the first line of the book was this? The word ‘baripity’ is seen here and there in the book but I don’t know the proper meaning for it. Different sources convey different meanings which irked me a lot for I wanted to know it’s exact meaning. I had a great zeal in reading this and if you are wondering... I bawled my heart out.

n  n

What I loved about this book
~Childhood
~Gave me Nostalgia
~Relatable
~Writing
~Leslie
~It killed me
~The concept of Terabithia

What I didn’t like about this book

n  n

None!
This book is amazing people! You have to read this! What even better is that it’s not lengthy.

The Plot

In the book Bridge to Terabithia, two kids who are in fifth grade build themselves a world (not literally) away from their families and name it ‘Terabithia’. They spend their free time there even making a puppy as it’s guardian. A lot of people told me to prepare myself as the ending is said to be heartbreaking. I didn’t expect that at the ending.

The story was a bit slow paced but it didn’t matter to me much as it was not lengthy and descriptive. I found myself lost in the story of how Leslie and Jesse build their friendship and how they help themselves solve each other’s issue. They just like us bookworm chose a way of escaping reality except they do in the form of going to Terabithia. The beginning starts with Jesse practising hard to be the fastest kid in the fifth grade. Alas! Such things don’t happen for a story to go on.

I also want to talk about the plot twist at the end that’s the reason for breaking the hearts of thousand of people. I didn’t expect that! I came up with a lot of ideas that could make me cry at the end of the book THIS was not what I expected. Why Katherine? (Author)

The writing

One has to accept it. There are a lot of weird noises in the book. That bapity one is really confusing but so is

“Tra-la-la-la-la, he said to himself”

Like...what is that supposed to mean? I have never in my life said ‘Tra-la-la-la’ to myself.

n  n

There weren’t much sentences that are beautifully written except weird sounds. But I loved the style of the book. The pace matched with the theme. Everything about it seemed perfect except the ending. This is the only children’s book that made me cry so much.

“Lord, it would be better to be born without an arm than to go through life with no guts”

Characters

We don’t go into depth with so many characters but I will try to cover as much as I can.

Jesse Aarons

This is our main character. The ‘should be’ fastest runner in fifth grade.
He is really passionate about art though he is teased about it.
n  n

“Jess drew the way some people drink whiskey”

A bit selfish

“it was nice to have somebody who worshiped you. Even if it got unhandy sometimes”

And stupid

“She said he was "unusually talented," and she hoped he wouldn't let anything discourage him, but would "keep it up." That meant, Jess believed, that she thought he was the best”

He is not the strongest of characters... but he is one of the interesting ones I had the pleasure to meet. His father is always at work in Washington and comes home tired so he hasn’t been able to play with his father properly. He feels left out in the family as the others are females. I don’t exactly hate him for that because they are not the best kind of family one would want to be with. His younger sister May Belle is the only family member he likes being around with. His other two older sisters- Ellie(?) and Brenda are the sort of people everyone despises. They are rude, selfish and whenever they show up your day gets 100% better worse

His mother is not one worth mentioning because she didn’t have much character or role. One thing I hated about her is she didn’t care for Jesse. She was always seen scolding him. But I liked her a lot better at the end of the book. Though I have to say I liked the family cow much better (seriously!)

Jesse is also relatable. He wants to show off that he is not that weird kid who draws anymore. Did I mention he is also day-dreaming consistently while forgetting to do the house hold chores.

n  n

Oh and he was converted to a reader by Leslie. THREE CHEERS TO LESLIE

Unlike most readers here, I learned about this book only after my teenage years. I envy those who were able to read it when they were young. I will compensate for it, though, by giving this book to my future son or daughter, as I think that this is a book that all kids should read.

Creating secret hideouts in the woods with intricate details was one of my favorite hobbies when I was young. A few books by Enid Blyton acted as a catalyst for this behavior. So when I read about the magical kingdom of Terabithia, many nostalgic thoughts passed through my mind.

Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke will transport you to a new world through the marvelous writing of Katherine Paterson.

Can children’s books make an adult cry? Please read Bridge to Terabithia. You will instantly get an answer to the above question.

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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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