Bridge to Terabithia is a work of children's literature about two lonely children who create a magical forest kingdom. Written by Katherine Paterson, it was first published in 1977, and won the Newbery Medal in 1978. It tells the story of fifth grader Jesse Aarons, who befriends new girl Leslie Burke when he loses a race to her. In 2007, a film with the same name, based upon the book, was released. Image File history File links Bridge_to_Terabithia. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Katherine Paterson is an award-winning American author of books for children. ... In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Basic Characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The barcode of an ISBN . ... Jane Frank: illustration from Thomas Yoseloffs The Further Adventures of Till Eulenspiegel (1957). ... Katherine Paterson is an award-winning American author of books for children. ... The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the outstanding American book for children. ... Jesse Aarons is a fictional character in the book Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. ... Leslie Burke is a fictional character in the book, Bridge to Terabithia. ... Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 film directed by Gabor Csupo for Disney/Walden Media. ...

Plot summary

Jesse Aarons Jr., the only boy in a family of five children, is a middle child, living in rural southwest Virginia. His mother favors his sisters Brenda, Ellie, May Belle, and Joyce Ann, while his father works in Washington D.C. and doesn't have much time for him. May Belle, the second youngest sister, looks up to Jesse and admires him. Leslie Burke, an only child along with her wealthy parents who are both writers, just moved to this area in an attempt to start a new life. Jesse Aarons is a fictional character in the book Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China An artists rendering of an aerial view of the Maryland countryside: Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986), Aerial Series: Ploughed Fields, Maryland, 1974, acrylic and mixed materials on apertured double canvas, 52... Southwest Virginia at its greatest geographical definition Southwest Virginia is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Leslie Burke is a fictional character in the book, Bridge to Terabithia. ...

Jesse has been training all summer for a race, but the race is won by Leslie, despite the fact that the race is for "boys only." Both children are loners who don't fit in with their peers at school; Jesse is intensely interested in art but his father disapproves, and Leslie's family does not practice a religion or own a television set. The two soon become close friends. Jesse shares his secret love of drawing with Leslie; Leslie shares with Jesse her love of fantasy stories. With this new friendship, the two children create an imaginary kingdom in the woods near their homes, accessible only by a rope swing over a creek. They create the imaginary kingdom of Terabithia together, and name themselves King and Queen where they spend every day after school. In Terabithia they are able to work out their fears of the real world: fears such as the 7th grade bully Janice Avery. Summer is a season of the year that is defined as beginning on June 21st, and ending in September in the Northern Hemisphere. ... The Bath, a painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). ... In politics, a country (or in some cases, a group of countries) over which a king or queen reigns, is a kingdom, see: monarchy. ... A monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... Look up queen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Students in Rome, Italy. ...

Jesse has a crush on his young music teacher, Miss Edmunds, and would do anything to be with her. The central crisis occurs when Jesse accompanies Miss Edmunds to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and Leslie goes to Terabithia alone. The rope breaks as she is swinging over the rain-swollen creek, and she hits her head on a rock. Though a good swimmer, Leslie falls into the creek and drowns. Jesse can overcome his grief only with the strength and courage that his friendship with Leslie has given him. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... The West building of the National Gallery of Art with the East building visible behind and to to the left The National Gallery of Art is an art museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum was established in 1937 by the Congress, with funds for... Swimming is the method by which humans (or other animals) move themselves through water. ...

Jesse attempts to deal with his grief by going back to Terabithia and traveling over the tree bridge to search for Leslie. As he is searching, he hears a cry for help and thinks [hopes] that it is "Leslie" and that she is still alive. However, he finds his younger sister, May Belle, calling for help. She was trying to get to Terabithia too by climbing on the tree bridge over the river but got stuck in the middle. He helps her out.

As Mr. and Mrs. Burke are leaving, Jesse asks if he can take some of their wooden planks by their shed. They say he may have anything left over from the house and he goes down to Terabithia to build a bridge. After he finishes the bridge he takes May Belle over it with him to tell her about Terabithia and makes her the new Queen of Terabithia.

Characters

• Jesse Oliver Aarons Jr. - An artistic boy, fearful of doing courageous things. But through Terabithia, Leslie gives him courage. Jesse is extremely angry and depressed before Leslie comes into his life. Even when they are together, he is still distressed. By the end of the book, he learns to let go of his frustration.
• Leslie Burke - A smart, talented, and outgoing girl. Her talents include gymnastics, creativity, swimming, and running. Jess Aarons thinks highly of her, and they are best friends. She is not socially accepted by the other students in Jess's school, to which she is a newcomer.
• Joyce Ann - Jess's bratty four-year-old sister.
• May Belle Aarons - Jess's seven year old sister who thinks highly of Jess to the point of worshipping him. She is the only one of Jess's four sisters who he can seem to stand.
• Brenda & Ellie Aarons - These are Jess's older obnoxious sisters. They attend the local high school and are very stuck up. They usually manage to avoid work yet still spend money on unnecessary things. They often like to pick on Jess. Brenda and Ellie make fun of Jesse's artistic abilities. Brenda in particular is pudgy and has trouble knowing when to stop complaining.
• Janice Avery - The school bully at Lark Creek. Janice is very overweight and tends to become very offended when people tease her for being so. She has a crush on Willard Hughes.
• Miss Edmunds - The somewhat unconventional music teacher whom Jesse greatly admires.
• Gary Fulcher- A cocky kid who Jesse sees as a rival. He lost to Leslie in the race.
• Mrs Myers- Jess and Leslie's teacher who is given the nickname Monster Mouth Myers. She thinks highly of Leslie.

Jesse Aarons is a fictional character in the book Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. ... Leslie Burke is a fictional character in the book, Bridge to Terabithia. ...

Origin

Katherine Paterson spent a period of her life living in Takoma Park, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.^[1][2]. The inspiration for the novel draws from a tragic event that occurred on August 1974 when a friend of Paterson's son David, Lisa Hill, was struck by lightning at a beach and killed^[3][1][2]. Katherine Paterson is an award-winning American author of books for children. ... Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack... This article is about the screenwriter David L. Paterson. ...

A tree dedicated to the girl who died is planted in memorial outside of Takoma Park Elementary School, a local elementary school for Pre-K to 2nd grade. A creek that runs through Takoma Park, Sligo Creek, possibly served as further inspiration^[1][2]. Sligo Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River, which feeds into the Potomac River and eventually emptys into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay. ...

Controversy

Because of the novel's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number nine.^[4] ALA Logo The American Library Association (ALA) is a group based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. ...

The censorship attempts stem from death being a part of the plot,^[5][6] Jess' frequent use of the word "lord" outside of prayer,^[7] and concerns that the book promotes secular humanism and New Age religions, occultism, Satanism,^[8][7] and for accusations of sexual content.^[9] Censorship is the removal or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ... Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects the supernatural and the spiritual as warrants of moral reflection and decision-making. ...

The book is studied in English studies classes in Australia, Canada,^[10] United Kingdom^[11], Panama, and the United States. English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and the Middle East, among other areas), English linguistics (including English phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics...

Terabithia

The name of Terabithia, the imaginary kingdom, sounds very much like Terebinthiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_in_The_Chronicles_of_Narnia#T, a Narnian island, created by C. S. Lewis for both Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Katherine Paterson acknowledges that Terabithia is likely derived from Terebinthia. The micronation of Sealand Micronations – sometimes also referred to as a cybernations, fantasy countries, model countries, and new country projects – are entities that resemble independent nations or states but which are unrecognized by them, and which for the most part exist only on paper, on the Internet, or in the... This is a list of fictional places in the series of novels by C. S. Lewis collectively known as The Chronicles of Narnia. ... The Narnia books “Narnia” redirects here. ... Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irish author and scholar. ... Prince Caspian is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, first published in 1951. ... The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis. ...

"I thought I had made it up. Then, rereading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis, I realized that I had probably gotten it from the island of Terebinthia in that book. However, Lewis probably got that name from the Terebinth tree in the Bible, so both of us pinched from somewhere else, probably unconsciously."^[12]

Bridge to Terabithia makes a direct reference to The Chronicles of Narnia, with Leslie lending the stories to Jess so that he can learn to behave like a king. Binomial name Pistacia terebinthus L. Terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus) also called turpentine tree is a small deciduous tree or shrub related to the pistachio native to the Mediterranean region. ... The Narnia books “Narnia” redirects here. ...

In film

Main article: Bridge to Terabithia (1985 film)

Main article: Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film)

There have been two films made based on this book. One was a PBS TV movie made in 1985 starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts and Julie Beaulieu. A theatrical film version starring AnnaSophia Robb, Josh Hutcherson and Zooey Deschanel, was released on February 16, 2007. Bridge to Terabithia was made into a tv movie filmed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for PBS in 1985, starring Annette OToole, Julian Coutts and Julie Beaulieu. ... Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 film directed by Gabor Csupo for Disney/Walden Media. ... Bridge to Terabithia was made into a tv movie filmed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for PBS in 1985, starring Annette OToole, Julian Coutts and Julie Beaulieu. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Annette OToole (born Annette Toole on April 1, 1952[1] in Houston, Texas) is an American dancer and actress. ... Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 film directed by Gabor Csupo for Disney/Walden Media. ... AnnaSophia Robb (born December 8, 1993) is an American film and television actress, as well as occasional singer. ... [[ImageBold text:Zathuraj. ... Zooey Claire Deschanel (born January 17, 1980) is an American actress. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

In music

There was a song written by Toronto band Magneta Lane on their 2005 album Dancing with Daggers using the title Bridge To Terabithia. The band on the cover of their second album Dancing with Daggers Magneta Lane are a Canadian indie band hailing from Toronto, Ontario. ...

References

• Bridge to Terabithia, Hardcover edition (ISBN 0-690-01359-0)

External Links

An on-line newspaper called The Takoma Voice has an article called "Lisa Hill and the Bridge to Terabithia by Diana Kohn" at "Our History:Takoma Archives". Unfortunately, the article does not seem to be accessible (attempted to retrieve 14 Feb 2007). However, the Internet Archive link does work. "Lisa Hill and the Bridge to Terabithia by Diana Kohn"