Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

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Description:

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess, and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

Age Recommendation: 11-14, or 4th-8th grade

General Content:

Language: 3/10- Some derogatory language/ references.

Alcohol & Drugs: 1/10- Mention of a student smoking in the bathroom.

Violence & Gore: 3/10- Death of a child, bullying and teasing among classmates and siblings.

Sexual Content: 0/10- Little to no sexual content.

Parent Guide:

Tropes: Friendship, mortality and grief, escape from reality.

Ch. 1

-Teasing among siblings. Siblings telling each other to “shuttup”.

Ch. 2 Profanities: 2

-Jess’ mom loses her temper while canning beans, yells at Jess, and then decides she’s too tired to cook dinner. Jess makes him and his sister’s PB sandwiches.

-Jess pulls out his sketchbook and draws the “way some people drink whiskey”(to relieve stress).

-Jess mentions that he believed that his dad would be pleased with his art skills; however, he wasn’t. His dad instead said, after seeing his art, “‘What are they teaching you in that d**n school?…bunch of old ladies turning my only son into some kind of a—— ‘ He stopped on the word, but Jess had gotten the message”.

-Jess mentions that one of his best-kept secrets was that he is in love with his music teacher, Miss Edmunds.

-“Not like stubby school crayons you had to press down on till somebody b***h’d about you breaking them”.

Ch. 3

-A “snooty” girl calls someone stupid for mistaking a food type.

-“You’re the only kid in this whole durned school who’s worth shooting”…”so shoot me” he said.

Ch. 4

-Jess describes the seventh-grade girls as “huge bossy bosomy girls”. When one of these girls confronts Jess and Leslie, trying to scare them, she states, “Don’t look like there’ll be room across the back here for you and Janice Avery”. Someone yells from the back, “Weight Watchers is waiting for you, Janice”. Jess later states he wouldn’t let some “dumb cow” like that scare him.

-Janice “falls” in the bus and claims Jess tripped her. He gets sent off and has to walk  3 miles home.

-Jess sees Leslie reading, “‘getting any good ideas?’ What?’ I thought you was getting some ideas on how to stop Janice Avery.’'No, stupid. We’re trying to save the whales. They might become extinct.’ He gave her back the book. ‘You save the whales and shoot the people, huh?’”.

-Jess gets teased about Leslie being his girlfriend, but it didn’t bother him because he could “no more imagine Leslie chasing a boy than he could imagine Mrs. Double-chinned Meyers shinnying up the flagpole. Gary Fulcher could go to you-know-where and warm his toes”.

-Leslie and Jess imagine their teacher, Mrs. Meyers, on “one of those fat farms down in Arizona. In her [Leslie’s] fantasy, Mrs. Meyers was one of the foodaholics who would hide bits of candy bars in odd places-up the hot water faucet-only to be found out and publicly humiliated before all the other fat ladies”.

Ch. 5

-Janice takes Jess’ little sister’s Twinkies, making her cry.

-Leslie tells Jess that Avery smokes in the bathroom.

-Jess and Leslie try to think of a way to get revenge on Janice. They decided it was best to make a fool of her; “Do we get her about being fat?” They decided against that and instead wrote a fake letter confessing love to Janice from a boy in her grade.

Ch. 7

-Leslie hears Janice crying in the bathroom, and Jesse encourages her to check and make sure she’s okay. Once Leslie goes in, Jess hears “cuss words” and loud sobbing.

-Janice tells Leslie that her dad beats her. She told her friends at school, and they told everyone in the seventh grade. Janice felt betrayed, but also that she betrayed her father by telling.

Ch. 8

-Leslie goes to church with Jess’ family. Afterward, Jess, May Belle, Jess’ little sister debate on whether God truly “damns people to hell”.

Ch. 9 Profanities: 1

-After it rains for 4 days straight, Leslie jokes that an “evil being has put a curse on our beloved kingdom. D*** weather bureau”.

Ch. 10 Profanities: 1

-Miss Edmunds calls Jess’ house and asks if he would like to go to the National Gallery in DC with her. They go alone.

-Jess gets home to his whole family waiting for him. They’re all sitting solemnly when they finally tell Jim that Leslie has died; she was found drowned in the creek.

Ch. 12 Profanities: 1

-May Belle asks if Jess had seen Leslie’s body, Jess hits her in the face.

-Jess asks his dad about Hell and if Leslie could have gone. His dad replies, “Lord, boy, don’t be a fool. God ain’t gonna send any little girls to hell.”

Profanities: d**n, B***h