Bridge to Terabithia

This is a beautiful story of the friendship between Jess and Leslie.  They come from very different backgrounds, but they quickly become friends.  Jess and Leslie create a castle in the woods and name it Terabithia.  They go to this magical place after school and the weekends with their dog Prince Terrien.  Then, one day there is a terrible accident and nothing will ever be the same again.

The setting is Lark Creek where Leslie and Jess made their own kingdom just for their own imagination.  This was a place they could go after school and talk, read, and draw.  They took their puppy here and they pretended to be King and Queen.  Unfortunately, this is the place where Leslie’s accident happened.

Jess is a sensitive character who changed throughout the story.  At first, he wanted to be the fasted runner, but Leslie changed that goal.  Then, he became friends with Leslie which was different since she was a girl.  He opened up to her about his drawing.  Leslie taught him about different family life styles.  When Leslie’s accident happened, he had to take that strength to help his sister. 

Discussion Questions from Scholastic:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/bridge-terabithia-discussion-guide