Bridge to Terabithia (novel)

Did You Know?

• The novel was inspired by the death of Katherine Paterson's son David's best friend, Lisa Christina Hill, who was struck by lightning in Bethany Beach, Delaware, in August 1974.
• The name Terabithia is similar to the Narnian island Terebinthia created by C. S. Lewis; Paterson said she likely borrowed it unconsciously.
• The novel makes a direct reference to The Chronicles of Narnia, which Leslie lends to Jess to help him learn to behave like a king.

Plot summary

Ten-year-old Jess Aarons lives in rural Lark Creek, Virginia with his father, his nagging mother, and his four sisters. He has trained all summer to be the fastest runner at his school, waking early to run before milking the cow, and secretly wants to be an artist despite his father's disapproval. He has a crush on the school music teacher, Miss Edmunds, who encourages his drawing. When a family moves into the neighboring old Perkins place, Jess meets Leslie Burke, a tomboy from a wealthy family in Arlington, Virginia. On the first day of school, Leslie outruns all the boys during recess, and the other students mock her for being a teacher's pet and not owning a television. Jess initially ignores her but changes his mind during music class, and they begin talking. They play after school by a dry creek behind Leslie's house, where farmland turns into woods, and pretend they are king and queen of a hidden magical kingdom called Terabithia, entered by swinging over the creek bed on an old rope. As their friendship grows, they use Terabithia to escape real-world struggles. Jess takes home a puppy against his father's will, and Leslie raises him, naming him Prince Terrien. When seventh-grade bully Janice Avery steals May Belle's Twinkies, Jess and Leslie forge a love letter from the boy Janice likes, humiliating her. Months later, Leslie finds Janice crying in the bathroom; Janice reveals her father beats her and her friends gossiped about it. Leslie comforts her. May Belle tells Jess she followed them to the creek, and he makes her swear never to follow again nor tell their mother.

Characters

Jesse Aarons begins the novel habitually fearful, angry, and depressed due to family struggles, and has a crush on his music teacher, Miss Edmunds. After meeting and losing Leslie, he becomes courageous and lets go of his anger. Leslie Burke is an intelligent, talented, imaginative, outgoing girl who creates the imaginary kingdom of Terabithia. She excels at gymnastics, creative writing, swimming, and running, and is not socially accepted by other students. She dies when the rope she uses to cross the creek snaps, causing her to fall, sustain a head injury, and drown. May Belle Aarons is one of Jesse's younger sisters, described as the only sibling with whom he feels close, though at age six she is not an ideal confidante. She is the first sister to learn about Terabithia and becomes its queen after Leslie's death. Ellie and Brenda Aarons are Jesse's two older sisters, rarely portrayed positively; they boss their younger siblings around but show concern for Jesse after Leslie's death. Joyce Ann Aarons is the four-year-old youngest sister, mainly tended by the mother and with no significant role. Janice Avery is the school bully, overweight and easily offended; she has a crush on Willard Hughes, which Jess and Leslie exploit. Her father beats her, and she secretly smokes.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews noted that Paterson proved as eloquent and assured with contemporary American children as with her historical fiction set in Japan. Children's author Jean Fritz wrote in The New York Times that Paterson skillfully takes Jess to the depths of nightmare and brings him back a survivor. The Horn Book Magazine praised the magnificent characterization of Jess and his family, the descriptive vignettes, humorous sidelights on cultural clashes, and realistic depictions of rural school life, calling the story one of remarkable richness and depth. Literary critic Zena Sutherland observed in a retrospective essay that the poignant story is effective because Paterson lets Jesse express his grief and guilt rather than telling readers he feels them, without glossing over or reaching for dramatic effect.

Adaptations

In 1979, Miller-Brody Productions recorded a dramatization for Newbery Award Records, narrated by Russell Horton, with a cast including Rebecca Leigh as Leslie and Tim Rail as Jess. Two films have been made, both titled Bridge to Terabithia. The first was a 1985 PBS TV movie starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts, and Julie Beaulieu. The second was a theatrical film released on February 16, 2007, directed by Gabor Csupo, co-creator of Nickelodeon's Rugrats and former Hanna-Barbera animator, and starring Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Robert Patrick, Bailee Madison, and Zooey Deschanel; the adaptation was done in part by David Paterson. The film adapted the giant troll and created the Dark Master, Squogres, Hairy Vultures, and many unidentified creatures. A musical stage adaptation, The Bridge to Terabithia, credited to Paterson and Stephanie S. Tolan, with music by Steve Liebman, was catalogued by the Library of Congress in 1993.