Bridge to Terabithia: The Official Movie Companion

by David Paterson

Discover how the magical land of Terabithia was brought to the big screen in the major motion picture Bridge to Terabithia. Included inside this official movie scrapbook never–before–seen images from the movie; exclusive behind–the–scene stories; actor profiles and interviews and much more! This exciting guide is written by David Paterson, the son of the Newbery Medal winning author of Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson. His commentary, combined with brilliant full color photographs from the film, render this an unforgettable insider's exploration of a story that has captured the hearts and minds of a generation.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Media Tie In

48 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2006

About the author

David Lord Paterson (born 1966) is an American screenwriter, actor, stuntman and producer.
In August 1974, David's best friend, eight-year-old Lisa Hill, was struck by lightning and killed. His mother, author Katherine Paterson, used this real-life experience as the basis for her children's novel Bridge to Terabithia. David produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the novel released in 2007.
He graduated from The Catholic University of America (CUA) in 1989 with a BA. Paterson held a special advance screening of Bridge to Terabithia on February 1, 2007, for members of the CUA community at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland.
As a playwright, Paterson has published over one dozen titles with Samuel French, Inc.. He holds the record for being the only playwright ever to have three plays premiere on New York stages within one month.
In December 2012, Paterson ran a write-in campaign for Park District Commissioner of Manhasset, and won against the Incumbent. He has been re-elected three more times.
In 2013 David was a stunt double for Robin Williams in The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
In the Fall of 2016, his feature film, The Great Gilly Hopkins, based on another book written by his mother, opened in US theaters. The film starred Kathy Bates, Bill Cobbs, and Sophie Nélisse.
In June 2024, David's documentary The Girl Who Wore Freedom, will open on screens in 100 cities throughout the USA, marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet read. I thought from the movie trailers that it was going to be like Spiderwick or Narnia and for a while was wondering why it wasn't going "fantasy" like I thought. Then I realized that the story is about Jess and Leslie, but mostly Jess, and not really about their secret world. It was a good story and although some may argue that the ending is too grown up for children, I would disagree. Kids have hard stuff to go through. I know of several that have had some hard lives at times and I think to know of someone else's troubles can be helpful. We shouldn't live there but a visit can do some good for those that need a little help.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I cried!
you have to read it

[Valeria Ambriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book For literatures and I hope that I get one just like this again I feel bad for Jesse at the end when Leslie dies but I am happy for JoyceAnne being the new queen.

[Logan Trierweiler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good book. It is about a boy and a girl that made an imaginary land across a creek and something happens to the girl. I would recommend this book to many people.

[Jacob Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

an intresting book about a farm boy and his imaganion

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jess is about to start school and is determined to become the fastest kid in the 5th grade. While out practicing in the field near his home one day, he meets a girl named Leslie who is moving into the home next to his. Leslie turns out to be the fastest kid in the 5th grade and they end up becoming best buds. With a big imagination, Jess and Leslie create the land of Terabithia where they rule as king and queen. Both characters improve each other and Jess becomes more imaginative while Leslie becomes more compassionate throughout the story. They become inseparable until one day tragedy strikes and Jess is left alone and suffering in grief over the loss of his best friend. This book explores death for kids and the grief process people go through. I only wish they explored more of Terabithia and had more scenes with the kids playing there since it's name is in the title and it doesn't go into as much detail as I would like. I read this book with my 5th grade son and husband and we all enjoyed it. Now we look forward to watching the movie!

[niza · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have always liked this story. i watched the movie in elm school and i know i read the book before in elm school i just don’t remember when or what grade. i love jesse and leslie but i feel so bad for leslie’s fate. she loved jesse man maybe they were young and leslie shouldn’t have been swinging on the rope hanging from the tree but still. idk i feel like jesse knew that day that something was off because he was so against going to terabithia. i just feel bad for him because he has to deal with the loss of his bestfriend.

[Ocarl243 · Rating 4 out of 5]

when i got to the end of this book i was full of tears and a few weeks later after i watched the movie the same thing happend! This book is perfect for me because i love romance, and adventure!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorites as a kid and the story is just as moving as an adult. beautifully written.

[Abby]

It was a heartwarming, devastating and exciting tale about how a relationship starts and finishes with a good ending.

[Calee Clute · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet short novel that reminds us of how our childhood friends have greater impacts on us. A classic.

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was sad, but I wasnt interested in it. I enjoyed the movie more.

[Annacurlytop · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book, not as sad as I thought It would be, but still sad.

[Kirra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really interesting and the ending was really sad and unexpected

[Madyen]

Good

[Jayden Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, the book was pretty good, but i’m kinda over the fact that they did that to my home girl in the end like okay no Bridge to Terabithia just death and dog???

[Abby Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read for Third Quarter is Bridge to Terabithia. The author of the book is David Paterson. The authors purpose of writing this book was that it is always good to have a best friend in your life. The best friend can be a guy or a girl is doesn't matter it is as long as you trust them to be you best friend. Why it is good to have a best friend is so that you can tell them everything that you wouldn't tell anybody else. The best friend can also help you out on anything you need help on. And that they can always make you happy if you are sad. So that's why you should always have a best friend in your life. Your best friend is important to you.


The theme of Bridge to Terabithia is the creek and the school. It is the creek because the girl Leslie Burke and the boy Jess Aarons go across the creek everyday after school with a rope that is tied on a tree next to the creek so that they can swing over the creek with the rope. The other theme is the school, why is say that is because they both go there everyday and see each other. Jess Aarons always gets bullied at school. The author was trying to say that some people have places to go to have fun with others, and they do. Leslie and Jess have a fort across the creek and a lot other stuff to. They both enjoy going across the creek everyday.

The style of this book is narration. It is narration because it is telling a story through a series of events that describe what happened, usually in chronological order. What happens first in in the book is that Jess the bot goes to school and he has no idea what he is doing. The fist day in school he gets bullied, so everyday he just gets used to getting bullied. Then one day on the bus there was these girl sitting alone and she was knew to the school and her name is Leslie. Jess sat with her and talked to her. Then after that they came best friends. After a couple weeks they started to go across the creek everyday after school. They didn't even go home fist they just went straight to the woods then across the creek. One day at school this one big girl that didn't have any friends because everyone was scared of her. She got in a fight with the bully that kept of bullying Jess and school. After that happened nobody else bullied him because if they did they would get hurt by her. One day Jess couldn't go across the creek because he has plans with his family, so Leslie just went by her self across the street and it wasn't a very smart thing to do. Something bad happened, the day Leslie went to the creek by herself, she was crossing the creek with the rope and the rope snapped and she feel in the creek and died. Jess didn't know nor anyone else tell the next day. Jess went out looking for her in the woods and he didn't have any luck. After the death of Leslie, Jess built a bride across the creek so it would be safer to get across with out having any trouble.

The Bridge to Terabithia is a good book. I always wanted to keep reading it I didn't want to stop reading because I wanted to know what would happen next in the book. What I liked about this book is that it was very interesting. The thing that I didn't like about this book is that is has a sad ending and I don't like sad endings. The one thing I would change in this book is that they go to the creek everyday. It is not similar to any of the other books. It is one of the best book I have read this year.

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Report:

Bridge to Terabithia

“We rule Terabithia, and nothing crushes us!” –Leslie Burke

Do you enjoy reading books that have adventure and fantasy combined? Well then, Bridge to Terabithia will definitely be an excellent book to pick up. It’s written by Katherine Paterson and is published on October 21, 1977.

Jess Aarons, an 11-year old boy is often bullied by the kids in school. He loves running, drawing and painting but is also a lonely kid until a new girl called Leslie Burke moved in near his house and attends the same school. Leslie too, enjoys running. The two becomes best friends and they make up an imaginary fairyland, also known as a forest with monsters and angels and call it Terabithia. They would go there everyday after school, enjoy and not worry about anything. To get to their fairyland, they must cross a little river on an old rope. Then one day, when Jess couldn’t make it there with Leslie because he was going somewhere with a music teacher, a tragic accident happens that you will never forget and it strikes Jess when he heard the news.

I recommend this book to mostly teenagers and adults. Although it’s a fiction book, I guarantee you will never forget this book. The two characters have a remarkable and touching friendship that will strike your heart in a way that you’ve never felt before.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me laugh and cry and is definitely worth the read.

[Christin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bridge to Terabithia is about two fifth graders who become unlikely friends. Jess is a country boy who is different than his peers because of his love for drawing. Leslie is a city girl whose writer parents moved to Jess’s area because they wanted a simpler life. The two create the imaginary land of Terabithia, where they rule as king and queen. I do not want to give away too much of the novel, but it is a great reading with a unexpected ending.

This novel is excellent for teaching reading because it is a story students will want to read. They can relate it to their own lives easily, and I would be able to slip in vocabulary and literary terms like similes and metaphors. It has a grade level equivalent of 6.1 and is suitable for ages 9-12 (Scholastic.com). I think it is taught often in 5th grade, but I think 6th and 7th graders would enjoy it as well, especially those who struggle with reading.

I loved this book; it made me cry (Ok, I'm a softy)! It is a very easy read and students are able to see issues like boy/girl friendships, death, and being different dealt with in an effective way. There is also a movie, which would be an effective aid in teaching the book. I have not seen it yet but I’d like to eventually.

[Charla Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridge to Terabithia by David Paterson is a good book.I thought it was okay because it wasn't my kind of book. The main setting is at Lark Creek. The main characters are Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. Jess and Leslie become friends at Lark Creek and have an imaginary world named Terabithia. One day Leslie was swinging from a rope it broke and she fell in a river and died. So Jess builds Terabithia like she always wanted. I recommend this book to people who like fantasy and children because it involves fantasy and is easy to read for children.

[Kenya Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bridge to Terabithia is a realistic fiction book. I think it is for 4th grade and above. It won the John Newberry Medal in 1978. The book tells the story of how two very different children become friends. So they imagine a world where they both can escape to get away from everything else. It was an exciting book and I found it to be very interesting. The book could be used to discuss how sometimes young children can feel like outsiders compared to their classmates. There could be a lesson on how to deal with hardship because in the book Jess deals with a serious hardship. I think that the book could generate a very interesting discussion.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the movie when it first came out and wasn't surprised it was based on a book. I read this when I was older and still enjoyed it. I will definitely read this to my nephews and in time my own children. It teaches kids that death is apart of life along with the magic of true friendship, however fleeting. Imagination can keep someone sane, it can help with the pain of loss, it can help you when you are upset and life is being unfair. Children need friendship and their imaginations. Hold onto it as long as possible.

[Gavin Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was full of adventures and fantasy. The way David Peterson wrote it made the book seem magical, the characters different personalities make them outsiders, and there world of Terabithia is where they get away from everything. Their crazy imaginations hook you in and take you on endless adventures, until the tragic ending. In the end when the girl, Leslie, dies it makes you want to cry, because of how connected you feel to her. all in all i think this book was great

[Ryan Farquhar]

BRIDGE to Terabithia is a good book because it shows the importance of friendship between two kids.This book is told in the 3rd person by the main character'Jess Aarons',it also had lots of detail and emotion.Bridge To Terabithia is kind of a slow happening book,it was hard for me to keep reading.But overall this is a pretty good book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well to be honest it was not that interesting to read. Probably because I've seen the movie 20 thousand times and truly know it by heart. However, I do have to say that it is a very well written book. The aspects of imagination, friendship and childhood really make this a special read. The main characters are so lovable and I admit ,I did tear up when Leslie died.

[Matias · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion this book is to much fantasy. The authur tries to make it interesting wich I didn't get. It's to much fantasy. I realy didn't like it because it has to much unreal fantasy. Normaly I like fantasy but this is to much.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is for younger kids I read it when I was in 5th grade. It was interesting and I liked it because there are a lot of sad part especial at the end, and not everything is cool and funny.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't stop rereading this book. I literally just spent 6 continuous hours with my eyes glued onto the pages. What I love about the book is the classical, 'children seeing the world in a whole different perspective' .

[Goodboy.php Yeganeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is one of best Novels that changed me.
I was not sensitive but after i read it, i am so sensitive.