Bridge to Teribithia

Bibliography: Paterson, K. (1977). Bridge to Teribithia. Illus. Donna Diamond. New York, NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.

Brief Annotation: Jess Aaron loves running, and wants to become the fastest runner in the 5th grade. Unfortunatley, on the first day of school, a girl outruns Jess. Eventually Jess and Leslie (the girl) become unseperable friends and create the magical kingdom Teribithia. They are king and queen in their magical world. When a tragedy occurs and Leslie dies, Jess is able to remember the strength that she gave him.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: 3-4

Readers who will like this: 3-4th grade children who like contemporary realistic fiction that takes them to new places and experiences like this book.

Response/Rating: I would give this book a 3 because of the engaging concepts that draw readers into Jess and Leslie's magical world of Terabithia. Though the ending was tragic, it also kept me feeling at peace knowing that Leslie still lived on in Jess's mind.

Question to ask before a read aloud: Have you ever fantasized about a magical world that is all your own? What would it look like? What would you do there?