Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Bridge to Terabithia
Book Review: Life is About Changes
Summary: 3 Stars
This is considered a banned book because of "anti-religion, language, and discussion of death."
*** READER BEWARE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***
This book was about a lonely boy named Jesse Aarons, with no real friends or purpose in life other than being the fastest kid in the fourth and fifth grades. Jess then meets his soon-to-be best friend, Leslie Burke, when her family moves into the nearby farmhouse. She enlightens him, so to speak, and the story evolves as Jess begins to grow and change from this friendship. They create a make-believe land in the woods called Terabithia. After it rains for days on end in the early spring, the creek near Terabithia is overflowing with a swift, dangerous, icey current. Jess is dreading going to Terabithia that morning and ends up going to a museum instead with his favorite teacher and when he returns from "the best day of his life" he finds that Leslie had tried to cross the creek and drowned.
This story went from being about Jess and Leslie growing in their friendship to the abrupt end of it with no explanation and no chance to say good-bye and how Jess dealt with that. It did briefly talk about religion, but nothing in my opinion was controversial about it - it merely stated the fact that some children go to church and believe in God and some are taught that you will burn in hell if you do not believe in God/Jesus and die, while other children/families do not believe this. To me, this is a fact of life, because not everyone holds the same belief system and children will run into this during their lives. I did not see anything anti-religious about it, in fact I agreed when Jess was worried about Leslie's afterlife and Jess's dad said, "God isn't going to let a little girl burn in hell." And yes, the book discusses death, but death is also a fact of life and children will experience death in their lives at some point, but it is always up to the parent to review the book first and make sure it is appropriate for their own child because a parent should know what their child can and cannot emotionally handle. This book can be a great tool for discussing some of these issues with the child reading it and to discuss family values and morals that may or may not align with the book's.
Book Review: Must read for parents and children
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book for a Mother-Daughter book group. Both my daughter and I loved this book. I must warn you though, I read in the dentist office and could not control my tears. It is a wonderful story, even though very sad, that children can get a lot out of. Jess learns to like himself and appreciate his talents through his firendship with Leslie.Book Review: Parents, listen up
Summary: 5 Stars
While I respect parents looking out for their children, I think someone should listen up for a moment and take note of one fact. While many children complain that this book is "boring", we must remember that most fifth-grade children call any book that they did not choose for themselves as boring. In this day and age, children are not satisfied with books, as they require a slightly longer attention span than the television set. Those claims have now been tossed out the window.
Now... parents. Sometimes mild censoring of books is understandable. Children should not read books with explicit sex scenes, mostly because they wouldn't understand what's going on. Children should probably not read books like "Mein Kampf" and get the impression that this is right. However, are we now to declare such simple and basic concepts as friendship and death as "inappropriate for children"? Isn't it the opposite? These books prepare children for the inevitable. Sometimes accidents happen. Grandparents, parents, family, and friends can all die. Fifth graders know what "death" means. Are we to shelter them forever?
Of course not. I read this book in fifth or fourth grade, and I loved it. I started crying, and crying. This book made me feel so many emotions, and that's what the purpose of a really good book is. Should we all read action-packed books with no feeling? Of course not! This portrays friendship and the loss of a friend in such a clear, solemn way. We see how Jesse (the main character) struggles to deal with this. He's only a kid, after all. We feel it all - without actually going through that pain.
Regarding other claims about this book that it is not for children, let us remember one thing. These are children in the book. They think like children. They act like children. Their friendships and ties and feelings are those of children. Adults and older teens tend to find this book "boring". It is not intended for adults, but for kids to read and grow.
I read this as a kid, and I loved it. I read it today, and I love it. It's bound to bring tears to your eyes and is so powerful and wonderful every time you read it. Every child reader will love and appreciate this book.
Book Review: Share this story
Summary: 5 Stars
The story is all about the friendship that grows between two kids and the imaginary world they create. Anyone who has gone on make-believe adventures with their best friend will enjoy this book. The theme of friendship can be found in many great works of literature and Katherine Paterson's book is wonderful because she develops her characters.
Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke, the main characters, were more than best friends. Out of all the words in a dictionary, Katherine Paterson picked the perfect one to describe their friendship: bridged. Just as a bridge links two places, their friendship connected them.
Life was boring on the farm and full of problems for Jesse. His family had little money and he was ridiculed by the school children because of his drawings. The school children would ridicule him because he was too poor to afford artistic supplies, such as paints, pastels, colored pencils, etc. All he could use were stubby, school crayons that broke when you pressed down on them. Leslie stopped the ridicule by giving him some of the supplies a normal artist had. However, they would have never met if Leslie's parents had not decided to move. They chose the Perkin's place right next door to Jesse.
At first, Leslie was upset when her parents moved. She had gotten use to the city and popularity. Leslie was bored and lonely. So was Jesse. When they met, however, everything changed for good. Jesse had Leslie to support him and she was one less person to ridicule him. Leslie also benefited from the friendship. Jesse was the only one who did not ridicule her for wearing shorts and a T-shirt instead of the normal gear or eating yogurt. She, in addition, had someone to share her imagination with. They were true friends. The creation of Terabithia plunged them further still into friendship. Leslie wanted a place of freedom. That is what the woods became.
Leslie decided that the woods were a perfect place for their freedom. They built a stronghold next to a spacious pine groove. The woods were named Terabithia: a secret kindom where they could be rulers. At first, Jesse was not interested in making up an imaginary land. He, in the beginning, did not believe some imaginary place would help him. Then he realized he needed a friend. One less person to ridicule him was a great reward for some imagination. It was more then great. He was a king. No one could bother the place or them. Terabithia was forever strong and defended. The pine grove was even better. There he imagining spirits of all kinds watching them. The pine needles made the carpet for this separate castle all of its own. Leslie's time with Jesse made them understand each other more and made their problems disappear for while.
No one argued more than Jesse's mother did. There was always some complaint. One of her major topics was Leslie and Jesse's father ignored Leslie rather rudely, but nothing could stop their friendship, however. They were stuck together. Jess needed Leslie. Without her, he was as empty as a newly made gourd. He said,"I grew strong and courageous. Without Leslie, I was without guts." I can easily say they trusted each other. Jesse said, "We always walked together. I didn't push away." He went deep in the woods with her where he previously thought was haunted. Leslie expected Jesse to be ready for their trudge to Terabithia every day. Rain or shine, Jesse always was. Jesse even forgot Leslie was a city kid. He grew to be comfortable with her.
The theme friendship develops the story's characters. It brings them together and makes the inseparable. As the friendship progresses so does the story. It weaves in and out of the pages connecting their meaning. This makes Bridge to Terabithia a great read. I watched the quick formation of the friendship and thought, "Wow, nothing can stop them. That is how I want to be."
I enjoyed this book and I believe you will too. It is a great read for anyone who enjoys books about true friendship. I happen to be one of those people. If you decide to read it, you will want to share it. It is so original that it should be passed along a long line of your friends. Especially if you like books about friendship, you should read Bridge to Terabithia and share it with someone who enjoys the same theme.
Book Review: Simply wonderful.
Summary: 5 Stars
Loved it. It's well worth reading, whether you're a child or an adult. Katherine Paterson has a gift for writing about difficult themes in her books, and this is one of her best.