Now a major motion picture, discover the beloved Newbery Medal-winning story of Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. Join Jess and Leslie as they form an unlikely friendship and create the imaginary land of Terabithia. There they rule as king and queen, until a terrible tragedy occurs that helps Jess understand just how much he has learned from Leslie.
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About the Author
Katherine Paterson was born in China, where she spent part of her childhood. After her education in China and the American South, she spent four years in Japan, the setting for her first three novels. Ms. Paterson has received numerous awards for her writing, including National Book Awards for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, as well as Newbery Medals for Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia. Ms. Paterson lives with her husband in Vermont. They have four grown children.
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More About the Author
Katherine Paterson has twice won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. She received the 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Medal as well as the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the body of her work. An active promoter of reading and literacy, she lives with her husband, John, in Barre, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Visit Katherine Paterson on her web site at www.terabithia.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gripping, character-driven novel that leaves you trapped in thought,
By
This review is from: Bridge to Terabithia Movie Tie-in Edition (rack) (Paperback)
Ten-year-old Jess Aarons has never had a true friend. Someone he can confide his secrets to, and make plans with. The only thing he seems to have, in fact, is a happy relationship with his family's cow, Miss Bessie, a crush on the music teacher, Miss Edmunds - who seems to like him quite a bit, as well - and the hope to be the fastest runner in the entire fifth grade class at Lark Creek Elementary now that Wayne Pettis will be in the sixth grade. But Jess' dreams are dashed the moment Leslie Burke walks into his life. Leslie, like Jess, is ten-years-old, and, Jess sees on the first day of school, that she is also in his class, and appears to think that she and him are great friends simply because they live next door to each other, and have exchanged words - very few words, might I add. Jess is instantly reluctant to forge a friendship with this unlikely girl, who wears pants or shorts all the time, plays with the boys, calls her parents by their first names, and doesn't own a TV. However, as he gets to know her better, and realizes that, like him, she is the victim of numerous bullies attacking her for apparently no reason, Jess begins to see that Leslie could, quite possibly, become his first true friend. Together, as time passes, they establish their own secret land. A place they refer to as Terabithia, where giants and ogres run free, and work hard to destroy everything in their wake. A place where Jess is king and Leslie is queen. Where the two friends escape from the real world, and have the ability to toss their cares away. Leave their worries behind, and have a good time. Where Jess can showcase his artistic abilities, and Leslie can brag about not owning a TV, and her adventures in scuba diving, all without the repercussions of the nosy, nasty kids at school. But then, one day, a terrible tragedy occurs. One that makes Jess reevaluate everything he has experienced thus far in his lifetime, and realize just how much he learned from Leslie during the short time that he knew her.
It is not often that a book touches me in such a profound way that I continually think about the outcome long after the last page has been turned. That it nags at me in such a violent way that I can't concentrate on anything else. Yet, somehow, that is exactly the frame of mind that Katherine Paterson's BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA has left me in. I don't know, exactly, how this book escaped my notice throughout my childhood. However, after seeing the movie trailers for the film, I just knew that I had to read it. Jess is an enjoyable character, whose interest in the arts and talent for drawing is inspiring, especially when you take into account that his parents don't shed any encouragement upon him. His crush on Miss Edmunds is also notable, for it really showcases the special relationship and bond that students are ability to establish with certain teachers. However, from the moment she stepped into the book, it was Leslie who captured my attention. From her introduction at the end of Chapter Two, Leslie left a mark in my mind. She is a profound character, whose thoughts and outlook on like are remarkable. Her ability to conceal her mischievous mind behind raw intelligence is hilarious; but it is her mature musings on just about everything that she encounters, and her kindness that truly make her appealing. I can honestly say that, no matter how many books I read in the course of my lifetime, Leslie Burke will remain one of my favorite fiction characters for life. Paterson has penned a novel that makes one think, and leaves room open for discussion regarding the various subjects discussed in this book. Subjects that many authors strive to avoid at all costs. A gripping, character-driven novel that leaves you trapped in thought. Erika Sorocco Freelance Reviewer
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cornwall New York sixth grader,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Bridge to Terabithia (Movie Tie-in) (Paperback)
Bridge to Terabithia is an excellent book .It tells the exiting story of Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke. Jesse has a younger sister who is six, her name is May Belle, and two older sisters that are always bothering him calling him a wimp, their names are Ellie and Brenda. Before Jesse met Leslie his only friends were Miss Bessie the (families cow), and his music teacher who loves his drawings. Jess hopes to become the fastest kid in the fifth grade. At first Jesse does not want to become Leslies' friend.
Leslie Burke is a new student at Lark Creek Elementary School. Her first day of school she is already hated and bullied. She dresses in pants and shorts all the time, she does not own a television set, and she calls her parents by their first names. Leslie has a wild imagination and loves to read fantasy books. She loves making up stories about Terabithia. Jess and Leslie form an unlikely friendship,but then they become inseperateable.They create a land that they are not afraid to be themselves.Leslie tells stories about herself and Jess can show his artistic side.When Christmas is near they both want to buy each other something.Jess does not have alot of money and he wants to get May Belle a gift that is really special and something she really wants,he realizes that he does not have much money left for Leslies gift.One day while they were on the bus he yells to the bus driver to stop the bus the bus and he picked up a specail gift for Leslie.Later on in the story he gets a special place. For Leslie, money is not an issue so she gave him a pad of heavy art paper, a tube of twenty-four colored paint and three paint brushes.Later on in the story, a horrible tragedy happens to Leslie so it is up to Jess to see how much he learned from Leslie. I gave this book a five star rating because the book did not just end with "The End" it left you curious.I recomend this book for everyone who loves fantasy. M.L
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Journey of Self-Discovery.,
By
This review is from: Bridge to Terabithia (Movie Tie-in) (Paperback)
I started reading BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA after my sister encouraged me to give it a try. Having worked in libraries, I had often seen the book checked out and I new that it was a Newberry winner. However, I was always turned off by the book's cover (which featured a young boy and girl next to a tree) and by the book's blurb which gave me the impression that story was a piece of chick lit geared toward young girls. My attitude towards the book first softened when I saw trailers for the BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA movie from Walden Entertainment. Those trailers didn't look anything like the blurbs and jacket covers I had read. Shortly after seeing those trailers my sister told me I should read the story and that I would probably like it. She was right.
Though BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA is often marketed and read en-mass by pre-teen and teenage girls, the book actually revolves around a boy named Jess Aarons. Jess lives on a poor, small farm in rural Virginia. He is the only boy of five children. There isn't anyone nearby that is close to his age and so after completing his chores, he spends a lot of time alone tramping through the fields, running, reading books, and drawing pictures. At the end of summer a new family moves into the vacant house next door. The parents are both writers and they have one child, a daughter named Leslie who is Jess' age. Jess and Leslie quickly befriend each other and become best friends. They spend all of their time together create an imaginary kingdom in the woods, Terabithia, that they rule together. Jess brings out the best in Leslie and vice versa and though neither acknowledges it they fall in love with each other. Then one glorious day, a terrible tragedy strikes. Jess is forced to examine his life and realize just how big of an impact Leslie has had upon it. I have to admit that BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA was a much better book than I thought it would be and that it touched me. The story reminded me of one of my favorite books of all time, STARGIRL, by Jerry Spinelli. Both books deal with some of the same themes (close friendships, first love, nonconformity, etc.) and have similar characters (Stargirl is like an older version of Leslie), but STARGIRL is aimed at an older audience than BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, though BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA is more tragic. BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA is a wonderful book and is the first work of Katherine Paterson's that I have read. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more of Paterson's writings in the future.
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