Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia was written by Katherine Paterson and illustrated by Donna Diamond.  It is a 1978 Newbery Award winner and is on the 100 Challenged Books List.

Exposition:  The story takes place in a small town near Washington during the 1970's.  Jessie Aarons and Leslie Burkes are the main characters, and their families and kids form school are the secondary characters.

Conflict:  Jess and Leslie both struggle to fit in and find their places in the world of 5th grade where the unwritten rules of their school society lead them to create a sanctuary from the outside world.

Rising Action:  Leslie is new in town and does not seem to fit in with the other kids in school.  Jessie befriends her and together they face bullies, their families' expectations, and the culture of the way things have always been in school.  Each of them comes from a different family background which opens their eyes up to how to appreciate another's differences.  Both of them are creative in their own right and escape their troubles in a made up land called Terabithia where they are the rulers and can be themselves without worrying about what anyone else thinks. 

Climax:  One day, Jessie is invited to see some sights in Washington D.C. with a favorite teacher of his and is remiss in not inviting Leslie to come along.  When he returns from what seems like a perfect day, as he feels like  he can be himself with his teacher, he walks into his own nightmare.  Leslie has drowned as a result of an accident while trying to get to Terabithia in Jessie's absence. 

Falling Action:  Jessie must deal with loss for the first time and struggles with his feelings and what people msut be thinking of him.  He wants things to get back to normal as soon as possible, but does not really embrace his normal existence either.

Resolution:  While Jessie will always have the memories of his and Leslie's time together, he has also found that her legacy is what she has left behind for him; a place to escape and a way to cope with all of the pressures in his life.  He makes his way through the stages of grief and finds that he is able to share their world with others as a way of honoring Leslie.

This is a wonderful story that uses figurative language richly.  Similes are one way the author chooses to be descriptive.  The main characters; lives are so vastly different from one another that it leads to a great compare and contrast activity in which students could get to know each other better.

Paterson, K., & Diamond, D. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia . New York: Crowell.