i never read "bridge to terabithia" as a kid but i always saw it at the library. i avoided it as a kid because it seemed too fantasy for me (which it turned out not to be). however, now i regret judging a book by its title because i missed out on a great book as a kid.
about a year ago, i came across the movie, it was on ktla, one of those sunday afternoon movies. i watched it, primarily because zooey deschanel is in it, and it left me in tears. i cried my heart out and realized that i needed to read the book. i bought it at the goodwill but it sat on my bookshelf for a while. while researching banned books for banned books week i noticed it on the list so decided to finally read it.
and before i go, zooey deschanel was the perfect person to play miss edmunds the music teacher. miss edmunds was described as:
her long swishy black hair and blue blue eyes. she could play the guitar like a regular recording star and she had this soft floaty voice that made jess squish inside. lord, she was gorgeous.
totally, zooey right?
also, i loved annasophia robb as leslie but i wished they had made her hair a boyish cut and dressed her poor (even though she was rich), which is how it was in the book. but other than that a great adaption.
if you haven't read "bridge to terabithia" please stop by right now and go read it. there are spoilers ahead.
"bridge to terabithia" is the story of two fifth graders, jesse and leslie and their unlikely friendship. leslie is a new kid at school and unconventional. her parents are considered "hippies" by jesse's parents, they are both successful writers but they moved to the country to live off of the land. at first, jesse was jealous of leslie because she beat him in a race. he was also hesitant because she was a little different from the rest of the kids. she didn't watch tv and was intelligent (sad how smart makes you different versus the norm) but he soon saw that she needed a friend and helped her out at school. i should add, jesse is a little different from the other kids at school. he is sensitive, well-mannered boy who secretly likes to draw and loves music class. jesse saved leslie from the school bully, janice avery, and after that they became friends and started hanging out everyday afterschool (they are neighbors).
there is a woods near their home, and one day they crossed over the creek with a rope swing and created their own mythical land, terabithia. leslie, who is well-read, likened their mythical place to nardia, and started sharing books with jesse. leslie came up with all of these mythical creatures and areas and jesse felt less creative in contrast, but they still have fun.
they had typical kid adventures. they get revenge on the school bully for stealing jesse's kid sister's twinkie, but then leslie befriended her and discovered that she was a bully due to abuse at home. as a reader, you are happy for jesse and leslie and their friendship.
and then you are hit with a curveball. i was prepared for it because of the film, but when i watched the film, it had me in tears. jesse went to the museum for the day with miss edmunds (which in itself is creepy but i guess it was a different time?) and when he came back, he finds out that leslie is dead. yes, dead! it was raining and she had an accident swinging on the rope. it was devasting reading about jesse dealing with her death. he was uncertain about his feelings and how to mourn and what to do. in the end, he does get closure, he created a bridge to terabithia and shared the kingdom with his little sister.
"bridge to terabithia" is a wonderful book but sadly, it is on the banned books list. the reasons its listing are death and atheism (leslie doesn't believe in god or go to church). two things that i think children should not be shielded from, i don't have kids but i was a kid and like i have seen in maurice sendak's books and his documentary, it's better to be honest.
i first want to discuss the "atheism", which i actually read as being in support of spirituality. leslie is an atheist and doesn't go to church. but one day she joins jesse and his family. jesse and his sister who go to church every week are bored at the service, jesse spends his worship time counting things. while leslie, the atheist, finds the story of jesus beautiful even likens it to lincolm and socrates. furthermore, more when leslie talks about the crufixtion of christ with jesse and may belle they focused on the gory details while she understood the higher meaning in it. she even tells them, "you believe in it, but you hate it. i don't have to believe in it and i think it's beautiful". a pretty deep thought for a kid, but a demonstration of the importance of following rules of a church and being considered religious but lacking any spiritual (and i think more important) connection to god. leslie's "atheism" then demonstrated the importance of finding the beautiful within god instead of going through the motions.
since leslie doesn't believe in god, may belle is frightened that she will go to hell for not believing when she died. i thought this was an interesting topic because the reader knows that leslie was a good person and would not end up in hell. again i think it reinforces the idea of its more important to have good works here on earth versus having blind faith in god.
this discussion on spirtuality may go unnoticed by a child, but the topic of death is a main focus and probably the main reason, this book is banned. as a kid, i was frightened of death. i used to pray at night for god to keep my grandparents alive. i was also petrified of mankind's demise. it must have been due to a science lesson but at night, i would imagine that the sun no longer existed and how mankind would eventually die out like the dinosaurs due to lack of food. i never shared this with anyone but i would think about this all the time, as a 5th/6th grader. furthermore, since adults treat death as a taboo with kids, instead of protecting them from death, it just makes death more frightening. kids need to understand that death is a fact of life, there is no way to avoid it so we should not be frightened of it. and if you scared of death, its okay because others are too.
i learned online that paterson was inspired to write "bridge to terabithia" after her son's best friend was strucked by lightning and died. this book was meant to help children deal with death. it is supposed to explain to them something that even baffles adults. it demonstrates that there is no one way to mourn and that you will experience maby different feelings. it also shows that adults have a difficult time dealing with death as well. i can admit that even with my thirty years of life, i never know what to say when someone loses a loved one and am still scared of those around me dying. however the only difference is that now as an adult i understand i am not the only one who has these worries.
i am glad i read this as an adult but really wish i read it as a kid. i also hope that kids do read this book. by reading "bridge to terabithia", the reader learns an important life lesson and if read as child, it will last them their lifetime.
ps food for thought: many children's books are banned because of death as a topic. however, every disney movie has a dead parent especially in the recent years. in "lion king", we see mufasa's death. "finding nemo", scene with nemo's mom was intense for me and i was an adult when i saw it. however there is never a ban on them and parents normally buy movie merchandise and take them to disneyland to ride rides based on the movie.
