Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson
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Book Reviews of Bridge to Terabithia
Book Review: A 5TH GRADER
Summary: 4 Stars
Bridge to Teribithia
Katherine Patterson
Fiction
Do you like a good book with a catchy story? Well if you do then Bridge to Teribithia
would good be a perfect choice for you! Once you start the book you can't put it down!
Jessie Arons is a lonely fifth grade boy who wants to be the fastest runner in the school
until the new girl Leslie Burke beats all of the boys in a long awaited race. Then Jess's life is changed
when they swing across a rope into a forest landing and they create a secret place,a secret place just for them. As they build their stronghold and have fun while squirming to get out of school they become
more absorbed into their fantasy world. Soon Jess comes back to reality and gets a call from the music
teacher he's been crushing on, Miss Edmunds and she ask him if he wants to go to the Washington
Museum of Art something terrible happens to his best friend...Leslie Burke.
Leslie Burke, the dynamic protagonist of the story, is a happy upbeat person who is very sneaky and sinister. She is very young and blonde and small and she is a tad weird and dresses like a boy. She lives in her little fantasy. Jessie Arons is her best friend. He is a cranky fifth grader who is annoyed everyday by his younger and older sisters. Around Leslie he is very sinister and happy because she is his best friend. He loves art and likes to draw and paint and such. He is very southern from the country and has a southern accent. May Belle is a sassy 6 year old who brags about everything and come crying
to her older brother, Jessie Arons. Just like her brother she has a southern accent. She is a big tattle
tail and a crybaby and threatens to tell if Jess does anything.
I liked this book because it was very detailed and focused on the characters and story. The author did A very good job explaining the characters and plot you could actually feel like you were in their shoes. I also liked the plot/story a lot it was almost like a growing up story such as Steven King's Stand By Me in my opinion. The characters were also very detailed in depth and has much background behind them. Anyway this story was good and exciting once you start reading it you can't put it down!
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: 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: An Amazing Book To Be Read By All
Summary: 5 Stars
Bridge to Terabithia is an amazing book. It give you a chance to see that your really don't have to go along with the crowd. It's ok to be different. This book has so many moods that change often throughout the book. The story has two main characters. There is a boy named Jesse and a girl named Leslie. Jesse lives on a farm with his Mom, Dad, and four sisters. Leslie lives with her Mom and Dad. Jesse has trained all summer to be the fastest runner in fifth grade. The day of the big race Leslie asks if she can run. She ends up winning her heat and beats Jesse. Leslie is new to the school and has trouble making friends. Finally Jesse and Leslie begin to talk at home and go for a walk. They find a spot in the forest near their homes. They decide to make it a make-believe place where they can go and hang out. They call it Terabithia. For a Christmas present Jesse gives Leslie a dog. She names it Prince Terrien (P.T for short). Leslie gives Jesse a paint set because he loves to draw but doesn't have the supplies he needs. At their school there is a girl named Janice Avery who is the school bully. My favorite part was when Jesse and Leslie write a fake note to Janice telling her a boy likes her. They tell her to miss the bus so the boy can walk her home. As the bus pulls away from the school they see Janice standing there waiting. A few days later Leslie finds out that Janice's dad beats her, and she can't do anything about it. Leslie feels guilty. Towards the end of the book, Jesse gets to go on a trip to the Art Museum with his teacher. When he returns he finds out that Leslie fell while trying to go to Terabithia, hit her head and died. He runs out of the house and to Leslie's home. He can't believe that his best friend is gone. He is so upset that he throws his art set into the river. At the end of the book Jesse builds a bridge from the bank near his house to the bank were Terabithia is. The very last thing he does is takes his little sister across to Terabithia. He bends down and asks her if she can hear what the people are saying. He then tells her that everyone is saying the next Queen of Terabithia is coming.Book Review: A place, just for us.
Summary: 5 Stars
I almost cried, and I'm not the crying type. I'm the kind of man who breaks things with sledge hammers and swordfights in the backyard. And despite my best effort, my eyes started sweating.
Ten-year-old Jesse Oliver Aarons Jr. wants to be the fastest boy at Lark Creek Elementary. The biggest event on the school playground is the races, and Jesse only won once all last year. So all summer long, he wakes up early each morning to go running, before coming home and milking the cow. It's going to be his be secret, his glorious claim to fame. Summer's ending, school's starting back up, and Jesse's going to win.
Then Leslie Burke moves into the old Perkins place down the street (her parents are "reassessing their value structure). And even though she obliterates the boys in the races and ruins the fun for the whole year, she and Jesse find a way to become friends. The best of friends.
"Do you know what we need?" Leslie asks him. "We need a place, just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world about it."
And Terabithia is born. A place of imagination and friendship, secrets and love. A place where an ordinary boy and girl can rule as king and queen, inventing adventures that they can enjoy together. A place to escape from family and friends who won't let you be who you want to be. A place that can only be entered by swinging across an enchanted rope.
The resulting story is a moving look into the grief one experiences after a tragic accident. With careful and elegant brushstrokes, Peterson paints a canvas rich with the vibrancy of youth, the depth of friendship, and the dark hues of religion and life that sometimes color our journey through life.
If you haven't read this one, treat yourself to a quality novel. 1978 Newbery Award Winner, BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA is worth the time.
--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens