Bridge to Terabithia

Paterson, K. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Harper Teen.

Summary:

Jess has practiced all summer long to be the fastest runner in fifth grade until the day comes and new girl, Leslie beats him. Life for Jess will no longer be as simple as it has been with a new friend down the road who has a knack for using her imagination. This pair creates a magical kingdom and call it Terabithia that they can only visit. Tragedy occurs and Jess must learn to find a way to deal with it and continue to enjoy living life. 

Evaluative Criteria:

Plot/ Gender and Culture

Bridge to Terabithia tells the story of two friends, Jess and Leslie, who could have become enemies, but soon become inseparable as they bond over their awkwardness from their peers. The plot focuses on the friends being able to creatively go beyond their wildest dreams and create a kingdom that nobody but them can see or understand. Although the friends grow close and share the bond of an imaginary world, tragedy strikes and Leslie dies while visiting Terabithia alone. Readers will be able to relate to the characters and the story of friendship created by the author. The author is able to reveal a caring, genuine boy protagonist in this story as he experiences death, social awkwardness, and courage in this story.  Jess has five siblings and is the only male, so it is interesting to see that his best friend is a female character. The author makes a point out of telling readers that Jess puts in more labor at his home rather than his siblings and should basically fall into the role of a growing boy, one who should not receive kisses and hugs anymore due to his age and needing to be tougher.  The author allows readers to see how the character is able to develop and handle the emotional changes throughout the book.