The Bridge to Terebithia is another book I’ve never read before. And while it’s a YA book, and a young YA novel at that, it was still an all around good story.
A girl moves in next door to a family that’s struggling to make ends me rural Maryland/Virginia. The girl and her family are wealthy but are looking to get away from the rat-race of D.C.
The boy and girl soon become friends, although the boy was reluctant to be her friend because they’re at THAT age where boys can’t be friends with girls without being accused of “liking” them or being soft. Luckily, Jesse doesn’t let all of this machismo business bother him and sees that Leslie, apart from her gender, is a good person and a friend worth having.
Leslie introduces Jesse to the world of Terebithia, a land she makes up but uses her imagination to recreate in their backyard. Soon Leslie and Jesse develop a strong bond and show readers the power of friendship and the boundless fun you can have when you embrace your imagination.
One concern I had was the way Jesse’s female teacher takes him to a museum in D.C. by herself without consulting with his parents. I feel like this might be an anachronism, showing a good teacher trying to give a curious student a taste of the outside world and the education that waits. However, as a teacher in today’s environment, this good-meaning teacher would probably have a lawsuit on her hands.
Paterson draws the readers into Jesse and Leslie’s friendship and then makes you feel all of the feelings when THE incident happens. An enjoyable read that shares the power of a good story and the impacts of good friends.
This was one of my favorite books as a young teen. I was a young teen before being emo was a thing, so if I needed a cry, I had to find a reason and Bridge to Terebithia was a great reason.
No one warned me about this book, so I can see how teenagers all over had a good cry at this one! If I was crier, I would have been a hot mess. I think I was in too much shock.