Bridge to Terabithia

by Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia
book data
21,201 ratings, 4.00 average rating, 2,095 reviews (more data...)
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published
1996 (first published 1977) by Harper Collins Publishers

binding
Paperback, 143 pages

characters

setting
The United States

literary awards
Newbery Medal 1978

isbn
0439366771    (isbn13: 9780439366779)

description
Winner of the 1978 Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for Children.




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Jon
03/30/08
Jon rated it: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: children-s-lit
recommends it for: middle school curriculums
Bridge to Terabithia is a staple of many middle school literary curriculums; however, it is one of the most challenged books in school systems across the country. Opponents of this book preposterously assert that it has references to witchcraft and Satanism. I read this book in 5th grade and gathered no references to the use of magic at all. The book involves two children having imaginary adventures in the imaginary land of Terabithia. Such imaginary games are common for children. Yet some ...more
Like this review?   yes   (9 people liked it)
  2 comments

Elaine
08/20/07
Elaine rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in November, 1995
recommends it for: ages 9-100
When I read this in fourth grade, I loved it because it was enchanting, and reminded me very much of 'secret hideouts' I made with friends at the same age. When I read it again later in life, aloud to my younger brother and sister ages 10 and 12, I was choking back tears to keep reading aloud, and they were crying. If you've never read it (or, I suppose now, seen the movie) beware, this review is a spoiler! What I have learned from this book is that our assumptions about children and what is "...more
Like this review?   yes   (9 people liked it)
  3 comments

Res
06/02/07
Res rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2007
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?   yes   (8 people liked it)
  2 comments

Sara
09/02/08
Sara rated it: 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?   yes   (5 people liked it)
  5 comments

Aerin
05/25/07
Aerin rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: childrens
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?   yes   (4 people liked it)
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Katherine
04/24/08
Katherine rated it: 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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thefourthvine
06/04/07
thefourthvine rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: childrens-teen
Read in January, 1984
This is one of the books that taught me that Books Can Hurt. It was part of what I now consider to be my fourth grade teacher's reign of terror - she read Where the Red Fern Grows and Bridge to Terabithia out loud to us (and those are just the books I was in her class for), and I seriously think she did it for the days when, inevitably, the entire class would spend the afternoon weeping at our desks.

That said, though - and it needed to be said - this is a good book; it was so engagin...more
Like this review?   yes   (4 people liked it)
  1 comment

Denise
04/23/08
Denise rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in February, 2008
Lines I loved:

Lark Creek was the backwash of fashion. It took them a long time to accept there what everyone could see by their TV’s was OK anywhere else.

It made Jess ache inside to watch his dad grab the little ones to his shoulder, or lean down and hug them. It seemed to him that he had been thought too big for that since the day he was born.

It was the beginning of a new season in his life, and he chose deliberately to make it so.

Gary Fulcher c...more
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Laurel
12/29/08
Laurel rated it: 4 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0060758333)

bookshelves: fiction, kids-young-adult
I enjoyed revisiting this childhood classic. I first read it at the recommendation of our local librarian when I was in 5th grade. I remember being a bit annoyed with her afterward because it made me cry. Hearing the story now 26 years later and knowing what to expect, I still got teary-eyed.

The audio version contains an interview with the author and her son, which I found quite interesting. Having first read the book at age 10, I didn't pay much attention to the dedication page. A...more
Like this review?   yes   (3 people liked it)
  4 comments

Brandy
04/01/08
Brandy rated it: 2 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0060734019)

bookshelves: childrens, fantasy
recommends it for: children
The movie got so much hype that I decided that I would read the book to my kids before letting them see the movie. I hate how so many movies are comming out about classic books. I personally feel it is discouraging kids to read. I understand that lots of movies are based on books, but it seems that a new trend is to make movies based on really popular books. Anyway, I wanted my kids to hear the book before seeing the movie. I actually wasn't impressed with this book at all. It moved pretty...more
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MiJo
06/28/08
MiJo rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2008
I loved this book... it was very sad but something I could relate to, whether personally or from others' experiences. Jess was a really neat kid. All he needed was his father to love and recognize him, his mother to see he wasn't a little boy anymore, and his sisters to treat him like a person. This book also showed the sad truth of the public school system.

The reason Leslie meant so much to him was not because she was a girl or because he liked her in any certain way. It was becaus...more
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Rob
12/31/08
Rob rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: fiction
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for: Kids who want their hearts broken.
I just re-read the book before watching the movie. I'm sure I read it as a kid, but I'm reviewing this as an adult.

This book is sad. It's like My Girl. The characters are innocent and fun, and the world they create with their minds is playful. However, tragedies of this kind are not my thing. It seems that the point of the book is the tragedy, to have a boy's friend die. I'd rather spend my time reading something a little more up-beat.

I've said this before, I don't at a...more
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Joanie
The reason this did not get five stars from me was the teacher stereotypes once again. The two teachers were straight out of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: the old, sour, never smiles, hates her students teacher and the young, inspired, fine arts teacher that all the other teachers hate. Puleeze.
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Sirpa
03/23/08
Sirpa rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0064401847)

bookshelves: young-adult
Read in January, 1979
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Chantel
07/19/08
Chantel rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: fiction, young-adult
Read in November, 2008
recommends it for: anyone who wants to cry
I saw the movie before I read the book, so I knew that the ending would be SAD! I won't give it all away, but I wouldn't give this book to a kid younger than 13 or 14. And there is some heavy foreshadowing, so you can probably figure out what's going to happen before it takes place, even if you haven't seen the movie.

But I'm warning you...this book is SAD!
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Richard
08/30/08
Richard rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in August, 2008
A novel for teenagers, won the Newbery medal 1977. A book about friendships in the 4th and 5th grades in a rural school somewhere in Virginia. A boy and girls become best friends despite harassment by other class members. They find a special place close to their houses called Terabithia. Fantasy, friendship, and tenderness. Delightful book that adults would enjoy. I liked the following quotation towards the end of the book: “It was Leslie who had taken him from the cow pasture into Te...more
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Polly
05/17/08
Polly rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: advisory
Read in May, 2008
Bridge to Terabithia is a touching story that reveals family, advanture and friendship. Jesse Arons lives in a family with four sisters so it was like the more takes over the less. He uses stuff his sisters pass down and even wear old shoes his sisters don’t want. He lived in a consider poor family. He has amazing artistic skill but a quiet and shy personality. When a neighbor of his moved in, he met Leslie the new girl which also in his school beats all the boys in running. They become ...more
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Yoke
04/15/08
Yoke rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: 9th-books
Read in March, 2008
The unlikely friendship between Jess and Leslie begins at school after they compete against each other in a school race. They are drawn together as friends because they both feel "different," and they come to respect and support each other's unique talents. Together they create an imaginary kingdom in the woods, called Terabithia. In Terabithia, where Jess is King and Leslie is Queen, they feel strong and free. They talk, share ideas, and have a lot of fun. For the first time, Jess dar...more
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Waffle...♥
03/30/08
Waffle...♥ rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2008
Okay like... at the beginning, I thought it was an okay book... but when I came to the part when Leslie died, it made me cry :<. I accually never thought there was going to be a problem within the book and thought that it was just a kind of book that was a life lesson one, kinda boring but meaningful.. so it strucked me by surprise that she died! The way how the author described the book.. it was like I was Jess, losing the one thing that held him together... it hurts.. call me wierd, I don't...more
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Brad
01/26/08
Brad rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: juvenile, newberry
Read in February, 2006
recommended to Brad by: Newberry
recommends it for: everyone
This 1978 Newberry Award winner tells the story of lonely fifth-grader Jesse Aarons who befriends a new girl Leslie Burke. Together they create a magical kingdom (Terabithia) of the woods near their home accessible only by rope swing. When Jesse is on a trip to the city with his beloved music teacher, Leslie visits Terabithia alone and dies after the rope swing breaks.

This is a beautifully written story that very thoughtfully deals with the subject of death and grieving. I also felt ...more
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What frequently challenged or banned MODERN book should we read in July?

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Bridge to Terabithia (Paperback)
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Bridge to Terabithia (Paperback)
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"Corre um boato por ai, que a linda menina que vem hoje, pode ser a rainha que eles estão esperando." More quotes...


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