Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Paterson, Katherine. (1977) Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Harper Collins.

Bridge to Terabithia is a Newbery Award winning novel that falls under the category of a modern fantasy. The reading level for this novel is mid to upper elementary school.This novel tells the story of a young boy named Jesse who lives on a farm. He prides himself upon being the fastest runner at school. That is, until he meets his new neighboor. Not only can his new neighboor outrun him but she's a girl! Leslie, the new neighbor, is an adventurous tomboy with an outlandish imagination. Leslie and Jesse become fast and close friends and spend days playing in the woods. Mostly through Leslie's creativity the two begin to play in an imaginary world they call Terabithia. Terabithia is full of wonderous creatures and magic. Jesse and Leslie share an unbreakanle bond. That is, until the end of the story. I don't want to give away the end, but I will say that this is a story of true friendship. The tragic and unexpected ending makes reader's cry, no matter how often they have read the book. This book celebrates all the things that are great about childhood: carefree attitude, imagination, determination, competitiveness... The novel can be found in two film additions. The first film version was made in 1985 and the most recent was made in 2007.