Bridge to Terabithia

Why does Paterson give Jess's best friend Leslie the role of the person who dies, rather than a minor character? What would be lost if someone less central had died?

Jess was at the Smithsonian when Leslie died. How does his absence shape his grief? If he had been there and she had died anyway, would the grief be different?

Terabithia is just the woods. It has no magic except what Jess and Leslie give it. Why is that more powerful than if it were a real fantasy world?

Leslie beats every boy in the race on the first day of school. Why does Paterson make this happen, and why does Jess not simply hate her for it?

The Easter chapter places two frameworks for belief side by side: Leslie's wonder at the story's beauty and May Belle's fear for Leslie's soul. Whose response does the novel seem to endorse?

Jess hides his drawings under his mattress. What does it mean that art is contraband in the Aarons household? What does Leslie unlock?

The rope swing breaks. The creek was flooded with winter rain. Jess had said he was afraid of the high water. Is anyone responsible for Leslie's death? Does the novel ask you to assign blame?

Why does Jess take Prince Terrien from the Burkes after Leslie dies? What does the dog represent?

Jess's father holds him while he cries after Leslie's death. It's described as the first time since Jess was a baby. Why does Paterson put this moment here, now?

Leslie is from a wealthy family; Jess is from a poor one. How does class shape their friendship? Are there moments where it creates tension?

Paterson based Leslie's death on the real death of her son's best friend. Does knowing this change how you read the book? What does autobiographical grief add to a novel about grief?

Janice Avery is a bully who is also being abused at home. Why does Paterson include this information? What does it add to the novel's moral landscape?

The novel is narrated in close-third person, always from Jess's perspective. What do we never find out because Jess wasn't there? Does the limitation feel like a flaw or a feature?

Jess builds a wooden bridge at the end of the novel. Why a bridge, and why now? What does he build it with, and what is he building toward?

May Belle is made 'princess,' not queen. Why is this distinction important? What would it mean to make her queen?

Miss Edmonds invites Jess to the Smithsonian — an act of love and recognition. She is never blamed for what happens while Jess is away. Why does Paterson protect her from blame?

Paterson's prose changes register between the 'real world' sections and the Terabithia sections. Can you identify specific differences in sentence length, vocabulary, and rhythm? What does the technique accomplish?

Bridge to Terabithia is one of the most banned children's books in America. Why? Do you think the objections — death, 'occult elements,' language — are valid?

Does Jess ever forgive himself for being at the Smithsonian? Does the novel require him to?

Leslie calls the Easter story 'the most beautiful story I ever heard.' May Belle says 'it ain't a story, it's real.' Can both be right at the same time?

Jess is an artist who can't show his work. What would his life have been without Leslie to see him? What does it mean to be seen?

Compare the friendship between Jess and Leslie to the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte in Charlotte's Web. What do both novels say about what a friend can give you and what they can't take with them?

Chapter 11 is titled 'No!' — a single word as a title. How does Paterson's choice of title for this chapter function? What does 'No!' capture about grief that a longer title couldn't?

The novel was written in 1977, set in rural Virginia with no internet and no grief counselors. How would the story be different if it were set now?

Terabithia requires both Jess and Leslie to exist. But at the end, Jess rebuilds it alone and invites May Belle in. Is the kingdom that Jess rebuilds the same kingdom?

Paterson says she wrote this book for her son David after Lisa Hill died. How does writing about grief differ from experiencing it? Does the novel seem like it was written BY grief or through it?

Jess's father is tired and distant for most of the novel — and then holds Jess in the moment of crisis. Is this realistic? What does it tell us about how people reveal themselves in catastrophe?

Leslie's parents are well-meaning, wealthy, and slightly oblivious about their privilege. Paterson doesn't condemn them. Why not? Is this a flaw in the novel or a choice?

The novel ends with Jess building a bridge rather than crying, writing in a journal, or talking to a counselor. What does Paterson believe about how we process grief? What does building something have to do with surviving loss?

If Leslie had lived to the end of the novel, would Jess still have built the bridge? Would he still have become the person he becomes?