WARNING – CONTAINS
SPOILERS
In 5th grade reading class, my
teacher had us read Bridge to Terabithia.
As an 11 year old who was still well unaware of good literature, I
thought the book seemed boring and stupid.
When I got to the ending I couldn't understand why Leslie had to
die. It was so unexpected and sad. Still, I didn't appreciate the book until I
was probably in high school when I realized how much books meant to me.
Just like
with Number the Stars, I decided to read it as a quick read so I will be able
to reach my goal of 50 books by the end of the year. And just like with Number the Stars, I
relished in excitement as I read this incredibly powerful novel about two
friends and the power of their imaginations.
For a quick summary for the novel: Jess Aarons is beat in a race at
recess by the new kid, a girl named Leslie.
The two become friends and create Terabithia – a magical Kingdom just
for them where Jess is the king and Leslie is the queen. Leslie's imagination is a rarity to Jess and
he finds himself encouraged by it. She
encourages him to draw when his dad views it as silly and she encourages him to
be better in everything he does.
I LOVE this book! I don't think words can describe how much I
love it. Jess and Leslie are such
inspirational characters for the young and the old. Not only are they inspirational but
relatable. I felt I could relate to both
of these characters on so many levels – especially Jess. I loved his family and his entire world of
art and learning about how powerful the imagination is. It isn't just the characters though that make
this book great. Terabithia itself is,
of course, a huge aspect of this book. I
don't know about other readers, but I have always wanted a world I could call
my own – a world where I could escape and write and let my imagination run wild
where I could read books all day and get away from the TV and the rush and
demand of real life. Everyone wants
their own Terabithia and that’s why I believe this book has struck a chord for
so many readers. Then there are other
poignant points in the book – Jess and May Belle's relationship, Janice, Ms.
Edmund's music classes, P.T., Leslie's talk about church and dying, and Jess's artwork.
It's no
surprise that I am giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars!
P.S. – I watched the 2007 Disney movie after I read the book
and was highly disappointed – it was poorly acted (particularly AnnaSophia Robb)
and the story line was changed to be more modern which overall, I believe, hurt
the plot. The only good things I have to
say about it are Josh Hutcherson was okay as Jess, Bailee Madison was fantastic
as May Belle, and I loved at the ending when Jess said to Ms. Edmunds,
"next time, invite Leslie (to the art museum)" – that was a very
moving addition to the story. Also,
Zooey Deschanel was a good choice for Ms. Edmunds.
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