“Sometimes it seemed to him that his life was delicate as a dandelion. One little puff from any direction, and it was blown to bits” (p 77)
I will preface this by saying I apologize if I spoil the ending of this book for anyone wanting to read it. Even if it's spoiled, you should still read it. It's something you will never forget.
I never read this book in school, nor did I watch the movie adaptation of it. I honestly hadn't thought about reading it until I was introduced to it in another class. It sounded like something I would enjoy, so I decided to read it as my first book of the 20 Book Challenge. I was not ready for the emotional rollercoaster it sent me on.
A quick summary: Leslie moves into the house next door to Jess, and they become friends. The two find a spot in the woods by their houses and create a new magical world called Terabithia, where they rule as king and queen. They use this new world to escape the reality of their lives, but they soon come to realize that they cannot always escape. One stormy day, Jess goes on a trip with his music teacher without telling anyone. (SPOILER) When he returns, he learns that Leslie had drowned in the river trying to return to Terabithia on her own. He denies his grief but soon has to accept her death and mourn.
I was not expecting this from a children's book! I was in tears for the last third of the book! I couldn't imagine reading this book at a young age. However, as I finally stopped crying over it, I realized why the author wrote this book for a young audience. Everyone deals with grief, even at a young age, but not everyone knows how to cope. This book shows that it's okay to be sad and cry, even if you're a boy like the main character. It's okay to talk about how you're feeling and to hate the world. The book also looks at developing friendships. The two main characters had a hard start, but they eventually found out that they are very similar, so they became friends. This could inspire kids to look for friends in the people they never really considered.
I encourage everyone of all ages to read this book. It will definitely stick with me.
So, book one down! Only 19 more to go! Check-in next week to read my review of Because of Winn-Dixie.
Kaylee,
ReplyDeleteI have seen this movie when I was younger and I loved it. I had thought about reading the book for this challenge as well! I already know what happened so no spoilers here! :) It is so tragic that Leslie drowned and then Jess has to deal with the aftermath. I couldn't imagine having lost one of my friends as a child. This leads me to wonder if the author lost a close friend or family member as a child and that's why he wrote this book! I think it is good that there is a children's book out there that talks about death and how grief is a thing we have to deal with and not push away. I appreciate that he used Jess to show that it's okay for boys to be sad and cry, this shows young boys that they can have emotions. When I watched this movie as a kid I had no idea how inspirational it really was. I also never really saw the message it sends to kids until now. I will for sure be adding this to my list to read!
Hey Haley!
DeleteI actually researched this author and book a little bit after reading it. The book was actually based on a true story. Katherine Paterson wrote the book after her son's best friend was struck by lighting at only 8 years old. I'm glad to hear you'll be adding this book to your list! I'm excited to hear what you think!