Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

First published: 1977; illustrated

Type of work: Psychological realism

Themes: Friendship, death, and family

Time of work: The late twentieth century

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: Rural Virginia, near Washington, D.C.

Principal Characters:

• Jesse Aarons, the only brother and middle child in a large rural family; he is artistic and unappreciated by those around him
• Leslie Burke, a bright and unconventional fifth-grade girl whose vivid imagination helps her adjust from a sophisticated urban life to new, rural surroundings
• Joyce Ann, Jesse’s younger sister, friendly but naive
• May Belle, Jesse’s baby sister
• Ellie, and
• Brenda, Jesse’s older sisters; spoiled, stupid teenagers
• Mr. and Mrs. Aarons, Jesse’s tired, uncommunicative parents
• Judy, and
• Bill, Leslie’s casual, sophisticated parents, whom Leslie calls by their first names
• Janice Avery, bully and pest of the fifth grade
• Mrs. Myers, the fifth-grade teacher, kind but stuffy
• Miss Edmunds, the music teacher, young, beautiful, unconventional, and sympathetic to Jesse

The Story

Jesse Aarons thinks that he is the fastest runner in the fifth grade, only to find himself beaten by Leslie Burke, a new girl who has moved to Lark Creek from the city. Leslie and Jesse become friends, however, and in Leslie Jesse finds imagination and understanding for his love of art, a passion that everyone in his family finds foolish or sissy. Jesse’s other support comes from Miss Edmunds, the music teacher, who encourages his artistic and musical interests.

Jesse and Leslie learn and grow from their discovery of each other’s family and life-style. For example, Leslie attends church for the first time on Easter Sunday with the traditional Aaronses, who think very little about the implications of Easter’s message of death and resurrection. Jesse is surprised that both of Leslie’s parents work, that music and art are central features of the family’s everyday life, and that the Burkes are content to live without a television set. Both children are a little charmed and a little horrified by their glimpses into each other’s domestic style.

The most important creation that comes from Jesse and Leslie’s relationship is Terabithia, a clearing across a nearby creek in the middle of a grove of trees. There they are rulers, modeling their kingdom on the enchanted Narnia of C. S. Lewis. Jesse gives Leslie a puppy named Prince Terrien, who becomes their loyal subject; Leslie gives Jesse a fine set of watercolors and encourages him to paint. The only problem is getting to Terabithia when it rains and the creek rises; Jesse is afraid to use the rope swing over swollen water, but Leslie is fearless.

One rainy morning, Jesse gets the chance of a lifetime: Miss Edmunds asks him to go to the museums in Washington, D.C., for the day. Delighted at both the trip and the opportunity to have Miss Edmunds to himself, Jesse accepts and goes. He returns home to find that Leslie has gone alone to Terabithia that morning, fallen in the creek, and drowned.

The bottom drops out of Jesse’s life at that point. He throws away his paints and begins a long complex process of grieving for Leslie. He feels anger and betrayal, guilt for having left town, enormous loneliness, distance from his family and Leslie’s, curiosity about death, the importance of being a part of a tragedy, and self-loathing for feeling important. In short, Jesse expresses the wide range of human emotions that come with loss and grief. He also finds unusual points of comfort: He receives physical affection from his father for the first time since infancy, and he discovers a sympathetic soul in Mrs. Myers, the teacher who also grieves for Leslie.

The title of the book comes from the most important scene of healing in the story. Jesse finally returns to Terabithia, crawling across a large tree felled by the storm. He discovers there the eternal spirit of Leslie’s goodness, imagination, and friendship. He realizes that though she is dead, the values that her friendship gave him will last forever. Suddenly, he becomes aware that Joyce Ann has followed him and is stuck in the tree in the middle of the creek. Jesse crawls after her, rescues her, and shows her Terabithia—the secret place, the private and enchanted spot. The next day, he takes old lumber and builds a bridge to Terabithia, signaling his willingness to share the richness he has found there with Joyce Ann, his friend as well as his sister. Someday, Jesse decides, they will want to show May Belle, too.

Context

Bridge to Terabithia is one of Paterson’s best-known works, winning the 1978 Newbery Medal for achievement in children’s literature. Her concern for the individual within a family and community also appears in her other novels, The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978), winner of the National Book Award, and Jacob Have I Loved (1980), also a Newbery winner.

Not only does Bridge to Terabithia fit into the pattern of Paterson’s work, but it also is a seminal piece in a relatively new genre: children’s books that deal honestly with death. It is, however, a much stronger book than the similar Beat the Turtle Drum (1976), by Constance Greene, because, rather than emphasizing the grief of a child’s death, it focuses on the healing process that can and should follow.

Other books in this genre include Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women (1868-1869) and John Gunther’s Death Be Not Proud (1949). The death of parents is dealt with in Sounder (1969), by William Armstrong; Tiger Eyes (1977), by Judy Blume; and Where the Lilies Bloom (1969), by Vera and Bill Cleaver. There are also books that deal with the death of beloved animals: Charlotte’s Web (1952), by E. B. White; Old Yeller (1956), by Fred Gipson; and The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (1971), by Judith Viorst.