Spring 2019, Wild Readers 5 discussion

I read the novel Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson for my Goodreads review this week. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I knew it was going to be a tearjerker but I couldn’t put it down. I would actually look forward to reading a chapter before I went to bed at night (which never happens with books). This story is about an eleven-year-old boy named Jess who is kind of an outsider because he loves to run, draw and paint. He’s always trying to get his father’s attention and win the race. When he meets Leslie, they become instant friends and create a secret fantasyland across the creek in the woods called Terabithia. Leslie helps Jess come out of his shell and really shows him how to enjoy life, without being so insecure. This story really reminds me of my upbringing because I too was a very insecure child and if it weren’t for my best friend Sarah, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. Just like Leslie did in this story, Sarah showed me how to love myself and not care so much about what others thought of me. Thankfully my story differs from this one because Sarah is still with me but this story made me realize how heartbreaking it would have been for Jess when Leslie passed away. Losing a loved one is one of the worst things to happen to someone, although I think this book is great for children to read because it shows the stages of grief and how that’s completely normal, but it also does a great job showing how to overcome it and heal. Most kids deal with some type of grief in their life so I think this book would be helpful for kids to read to know that their not alone. Overall, this story was so touching and was a great story that I think people can all relate to in some way. I highly recommend reading this emotional yet uplifting novel.

Love this book! I'm glad you liked it even now. It's one of my favorites.