Bridge to Terabithia (novel)
| File:Bridge to Terabithia.gif | |
| Author | Katherine Paterson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | October 21, 1977 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 144 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-690-01359-0 (hardback edition) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
Bridge to Terabithia is a book of children's fiction 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. His hopes of becoming the fastest runner in his class are dashed when new girl Leslie Burke outruns everybody, including him. However, Jesse and Leslie soon begin a friendship, and create a magical kingdom in the forest, where the two of them reign together as king and queen.
Plot summary
Template:Spoiler Jesse is the only boy in a family of five children. His mother seems to favor his sisters and his father works in Washington, DC and doesn't have much time for him. Leslie's family has just moved to this area in an attempt to start a new life. Both children are loners who don't fit in with their peers at school: Jesse is intensely interested in art, and Leslie's family does not practice a religion and doesn't even own a television set. The two outsiders soon become close friends. Together, they create an imaginary kingdom in the woods near their homes, accessible only by a rope swing over a creek. They name the kingdom "Terabithia" and themselves King and Queen, and spend many hours there.
Jesse, who has a crush on his teacher, Miss Edmunds, does anything to be with her. The central crisis of the novel occurs when Jesse accompanies Miss Edmunds to an art show in Washington D.C., and Leslie goes to Terabithia alone. The rope breaks as she is swinging over the rain-swollen creek, and she drowns. Jesse finds out about the accident when he returns from his trip. Jesse can overcome his grief only with the strength and courage that his friendship with Leslie has given him.
Origin
The plot of the book stems from the author's real-life experiences. When Katherine Paterson's son David was a child, his close friend Lisa Hill was killed by lightning. Paterson wrote the book while coming to terms with this loss.
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.[1]
In the United States the censorship attempts were due largely to death being a part of the plot, Jesse's frequent use of the word "Lord" outside of prayer, and concerns that the book promotes secular humanism and New Age religions, occultism, Satanism, and for accusations of sexual content. In contrast, during the same era the book was studied in English classes in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
Terabithia / Terebinthia
Terabithia is the imaginary kingdom in Bridge to Terabithia. The similarly named Terebinthia, however, is an island in the fictional world of Narnia, briefly mentioned in both Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, novels by C. S. Lewis.
Katherine Paterson acknowledges that Terabithia is likely derived from Terebinthia:
- "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."[2]
It should also be noted that Bridge to Terabithia makes reference to The Chronicles of Narnia, with Leslie lending the stories to Jesse so that he can learn to behave like a king.
Terabithia is also credited to be a fictional micronation.
In film
Bridge to Terabithia was made into a film filmed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for PBS in 1985, starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts and Julie Beaulieu.
A new version is planned to be released on February 16, 2007 with Gabor Csupo directing and produced by David Paterson (Katherine Paterson's son whom the novel was based on) and Jeff Stockwell.
Some filming took place in early February 2006, at Riverhead Primary School in Riverhead, New Zealand. The school became Lark Creek Elementary School for the duration of the shoot, which occurred during the school's summer vacation. See Bridge to Terabithia
Cast
(only announced are listed)
- Josh Hutcherson: Jesse Aarons
- AnnaSophia Robb: Leslie Burke
- Lauren Clinton: Janice Avery
- Zooey Deschanel: Miss Edmunds
- Isabelle Rose Kircher: Carla
- Bailee Madison: May Belle Aarons
- Robert Patrick: Mr. Jesse Aarons, Sr.
- Cameron Wakefield: Scott Hoager
- Latham Gaines: Bill Burke
- Erin Annis: Ellie Aarons
- Devon Wood: Brenda Aarons
- Elliot Lawless: Gary Fulcher
- Tyler Atfield: 8th Grade Boy
- Summer Purcell: Janice's Friend
- Sophie Nathan: May Belle's Friend
References
- Bridge to Terabithia, Hardcover edition (ISBN 0-690-01359-0)
- ^ http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm
- ^ Bridge to Terabithia, 2005 Harper Trophy edition, section "Questions for Katherine Paterson"