Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

     In "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson, children ages 9 and above can expect to experience a story of friendship between the main characters Jess and Leslie as they explore the fantasy land of Terabithia. This story, although a fantasy, brings up important topics such as grief and finding one's self after loss.

    When evaluating whether this book is a quality piece of fantasy literature, I took a few things into consideration. First, I thought about the whether or not the events and characters in this fantasy world were detailed and gave a sense of believable reality in the story. This story combines reality and the fantasy world in a very well structured way. The author did a great job with mixing the fantasy and real world together in order to give the story a good flow. The fantasy characters fit in with the story and setting, there is never a time where you think "well that just doesn't fit here" when reading. The content stays consistent throughout the book and the characters are also a good example of being multidimensional while also staying logical. Next, I considered the writing in general. The overall structure of the writing is clear and precise with the details included in the text. The information is rich and engaging and brings to life the characters and this wonderful fantasy world of Terabithia. Last, I thought about the themes presented in the text. Of course there is the huge theme of friendship. This was probably the main theme that we can find in this read. Two kids who end up becoming best friends and together, indulge in escaping from the pressures and hardships of everyday life and just living in this fantasy of being kids. Along with this theme of friendship, I have to include that childhood innocence could also be considered a theme. When considering this book has 2 children as the main characters, it kind of makes you think about what could possibly be so hard for these kids they need to escape reality? Sometimes the hardships children face can be overlooked, Terabithia was a place for them to just be kids, to leave everything else in their worlds behind and live in their own world for a while. The theme of childhood innocence supports this idea because they are using their creativity and imagination to escape, something that the majority of adults are unable to do. 

    The themes overall send a meaningful message. (spoiler alert) When Leslie passes away, it leaves Jess devastated. His emotions going through the stages of grief are ever so present in the text. We come to love the 2 characters, 2 kids who need each other to escape their troubles and we end up being so consumed into this bond they have. The story is meaningful. The aspects of real world and fantasy come together to complete an exciting, impossible, yet heart touching story that children really enjoy. It approaches the subject of death in a very effective and warming way that will make readers feel the emotion of the text. With taking all of these ideas into account, I would deem this book a quality piece of fantastic literature that shares concepts and events that make readers think about life and ask questions. 

    There are not many illustrations throughout the book, as it is a chapter book, so the pictures do not impact the story greatly. I think that aspect is what makes the book so special. Readers can use their own imaginations to create the images in their heads and interpret the text in their own way. The book is based on imagination and that fantasy aspect, so having less illustrations supports readers to do that part on their own and almost be a part of the story. 

    Motivational activities:

There are a lot of options for how to approach motivational activities or reader responses for use of this book in the classroom. Questions that could be asked could be: 

"What role does family play in this story?"

"What are some lessons Jess learns from Leslie? Has a friend ever helped you realize something about yourself that you found important?"

"What does fear have to do with in this story?"

"What does this story teach us about grief?"

"What kinds of lessons can we take away from the reading about friendship?"

"What does the fantasy world and characters symbolize?"

    Activities that could be executed in the classroom could be having students take on a creative writing project where they create their own fantasy world and characters. Giving their stories a plot, and incorporating important themes and a mixture of fantasy and reality. You also could have students be places in groups, and assigned a chapter to use to make a script and do a whole class readers theater activity. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to thinking of ways to incorporate activities in this reading. Art projects could be another suggestion, having students create illustrations that depict chapters or portions pulled from text to see how they can transform words into art would be a fun way to visualize how students are interpreting the settings and characters. 

Personal response to the book:

I personally love this book! I grew up reading the book and watching the movie and think that although there is some sensitive content presented, it is a great piece of fantasy to introduce to the older elementary school aged students and beyond. The style in which Paterson chose to tell the story is what makes it stand out from other fantasy chapter books. The vivid language and details is what makes this book flow so well and create such a lovable piece of fantasy. Everything that occurs in the story has a purpose, which when I started to dive deeper into analyzing this book is something new I realized. I remember being younger reading about Leslie passing away and being so upset thinking "Now why would they make her die, she was the reason they found Terabithia in the first place!". Now after analyzing the book as a whole, it all makes sense and comes together. Nothing feels out of place in this story to me, and I feel comfortable saying it is in my top 3 of favorite fantasy novels that could be used in the classroom! 

References:

Galda, L., Liang, L. A., & Cullinan, B. E. (2016). Literature and the Child. Cengage Learning.

Paterson, K., & Diamond, D. (2009). Bridge to Terabithia. HarperCollins.