Bridge to Terabithia
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| Author | Katherine Paterson |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Released | October 21, 1977 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 144 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-690-01359-0 (hardback edition) |
Bridge to Terabithia is a work of children's fiction written by Katherine Paterson. It was first published in 1977, and won the Newbery Medal in 1978. It tells the story of fifth grader Jesse Aarons. His hopes of becoming the fastest runner in his class are dashed when new girl Leslie Burke outruns everybody, including him. However, Jesse and Leslie soon begin a friendship, and create a magical kingdom in the forest, where the two of them reign together as king and queen.
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[edit] Plot summary
Jesse is the only boy in a family of five children. His mother seems to favor his sisters and his father works in Washington, DC and doesn't have much time for him. Leslie's family, the Burkes, has just moved to this area in an attempt to start a new life. Both children are loners who don't fit in with their peers at school: Jesse is intensely interested in art, and Leslie's family does not practice a religion and doesn't even own a television set. The two outsiders soon become close friends. Together, they create an imaginary kingdom in the woods near their homes, accessible only by a rope swing over a creek. They name the kingdom "Terabithia" and themselves King and Queen, and spend many hours there.
Jesse, who has a crush on his music teacher, Miss Edmunds, does anything to be with her. The central crisis of the novel occurs when Jesse accompanies Miss Edmunds to an art show in Washington D.C., and Leslie, with whom Jesse also shares a close relationship, goes to Terabithia alone. The rope breaks as she is swinging over the rain-swollen creek, and she supposedly falls and suffers injury to her head, killing her. Jesse can overcome his grief only with the strength and courage that his friendship with Leslie has given him.
[edit] Origin
The plot of the book stems from the author's real-life experiences. When Katherine Paterson's son David was a child, his close friend Lisa Hill was killed by lightning. Paterson wrote the book while coming to terms with this loss.
[edit] Controversy
Because of the novel's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number nine.[1]
The censorship attempts stem from death being a part of the plot, Jesse's frequent use of the word "lord" outside of prayer, and concerns that the book promotes secular humanism and New Age religions, occultism, Satanism, and for accusations of sexual content. However, the book is studied in English studies classes in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and most American school districts.
[edit] Terebinthia
- See also: Terebinthia
Terabithia, the imaginary kingdom, sounds very much like Terebinthia, a Narnian island, created by C. S. Lewis for both Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Katherine Paterson acknowledges that Terabithia is likely derived from Terebinthia.
- "I thought I had made it up. Then, rereading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis, I realized that I had probably gotten it from the island of Terebinthia in that book. However, Lewis probably got that name from the Terebinth tree in the Bible, so both of us pinched from somewhere else, probably unconsciously."[2]
Bridge to Terabithia makes a direct reference to The Chronicles of Narnia, with Leslie lending the stories to Jesse so that he can learn to behave like a king.
[edit] In film
There have been two films made based on this book. One was a PBS TV movie made in 1985 starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts and Julie Beaulieu. A theatrical film version is now in post-production, scheduled to be released in February 16th, 2007.
[edit] References
- Bridge to Terabithia, Hardcover edition (ISBN 0-690-01359-0)
- ^ http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm
- ^ Bridge to Terabithia, 2005 Harper Trophy edition, section "Questions for Katherine Paterson"
[edit] External links
- Bridge to Terabithia (1985) at the Internet Movie Database
- Bridge to Terabithia (2007) at the Internet Movie Database
| Preceded by: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry |
Newbery Medal recipient 1978 |
Succeeded by: The Westing Game |
