If you haven't, consider yourself quite lucky. Have you ever loved somebody who died? If you have, we're really sorry. There's no nice or easy way to sugarcoat this, so we're just going to come out and ask. What is Bridge to Terabithia About and Why Should I Care? Both in life and in fiction, it seems, the loss of a friend like that can't be explained or undone. In a 2005 interview, Paterson admitted, 'When children ask me why she had to die, I want to weep, because it is a question for which I have no answer' ( source). Not surprisingly, over the years Paterson has received lots of fan mail that question the rather unconventional decision to write about the death of a main character. In a Q&A on her website, she says, 'I wrote the book to try to make sense out of a tragedy that seemed senseless' ( source). Paterson found herself unable to explain the loss to her son and ended up writing Bridge to Terabithia.

In the second grade, Paterson's son, David, became best friends with a girl named Lisa, who was tragically killed when she was struck by lightning. Whether you applaud Paterson for giving a voice to childhood loss and grief or not, what some people don't know is that Bridge to Terabithia is inspired by the true story of the author's son and his best friend. It may sound a frighteningly clear clarion call for a full-scale attack on imaginative literature throughout U.S. ' causing Bridge to Terabithia to be excluded from the literary bill of fare for young adults would do much more than simply allow the censors to ban a high-quality novel. English Professor John Simmons, for example, writes in The ALAN Review that censoring a book like this has far-reaching, devastating consequences: However, it seems as though defenses for the book are even more passionate than criticisms. It happens to deal with some pretty difficult subject matter, like death and religion (for example, some critics think Leslie's not a good role model because she doesn't attend church), and it doesn't help that some of the characters do some mild swearing ( source). The novel won a lot of other honors, too, including being named an ALA Notable Children's Book in 1977 and a School Library Journal Best Book of 1977.īut, like many other great children's books, it's come under controversial fire.

And, with all of these elements, the book won Katherine Paterson her first Newbery Medal in 1978 (she won another for Jacob Have I Loved in 1981). Bridge to Terabithia is one of the most classic books you may ever read about friendship, imagination, and loss.

Bridge to terabithia book cover