Paterson, K. (1972). Bridge to Terabithia. NY: Crown.
In this Newbery award winning novel, fifth grader Jesse Aarons is a lonely and depressed boy until he becomes friends with his new neighbor Leslie Burke after he loses a race to her at school. She is a smart, imaginative and funny, and they quickly become inseparable. Leslie transforms Jesse’s life with her friendship and kindness. She helps heals his anger and angst. They create a kingdom for themselves named Terabithia in which they are the rulers. This is their sanctuary away from their judgmental families and the bullies at school. Tragically Leslie dies trying to get to Terabithia alone one day when Jesse is at the museum with a teacher he has a crush on. Jesse is absolutely heartbroken but begins to heal and wants to preserve Leslie’s memory and the lessons she taught him. In the end allows his youngest sister May Belle to become princess of Terabithia and forms a deeper bond with her.
This was a beautiful and gut wrenching book. It is pretty hard to keep it together at the end of the book but this is a story that should not be missed. It is so relatable for children and ultimately a realization that we all feel alone in our feeling sometimes but to reach out and you will find someone you can connect to. I highly recommend this story to grades 4-8.
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