Read it with my 10 year old son. We both enjoyed it and it started a great discussion about life. ( )

This book tells the story of two unlikely friends. Jessie has been praticing all summer so that he can be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, however a new girl shows up and actually beats him. However the two quickly become inseperable! They build a clubhouse in the woods and make up an entire imaginary land called Terabithia. In Terabithia anything is possible. Then tragedy strikes and Jessie is left to deal with this all alone. A very sad ending but a wonderfully written book. Great for 5th or 6th graders! ( )

Jess was a young boy who loved to run more then anything to run. He did not make friends that easy and growing up in a house full of girls, the thing that he wanted least was a friend that was a girl, that was a friend. But that is what he got, Leslie Burke. One day Jess and Leslie, decided to go across a creek and make a imaginary land where they could rule called Terabithia. Jess and Leslie visited Terabithia reguraly and always together, and during this time, became the best of friends. One day, when Jess was headed out to go with Leslie to the wonderful world of Teribithia, Jess got a phone call from his favorite teacher, and crush to go to the museum. He decided sure, why not. When he got back from a fun-filled day at the museum he noticed his parents had been crying. Jess soon learned that his best friend Leslie had died. Leslie had tried to swing across to go to Terbithia and the rope had broke. Jess decided he was going to build a bridge across to Terebithia.

This was a super sad story. I couldn't even imagine if I had a best friend that would died. I love reading this story, although it brought tears to my eyes.

One activity you could do with the children would be draw what they might of pictured the imaginary land of Terabithia to look like. You could also write you own ending to the story, that might end in happiness without sadness.

This book is about Jesse, a young fifth grade boy, who only cares about one thing, being the fastest runner in the whole school. He practices all summer and has a chance of being the fastest. That is until a new student joins them in the race and out runs them all. However, the new student is female and is trying to make new friends. Nobody at school will give her the time of day except for Jesse and they end up being best friends. They go to the woods to play by themselves and make up a secret imaginary world where they can go away to and be the king and queen where nobody makes fun of them and they can be themselves.

I knew there was a movie based on this book but, have never watched it because I figured it was a boring kids movie. However, a few months ago one of my friends told me I needed to watch the movie because they thought it was really good. I still haven't had the time to watch it but, when I seen this book in the Newbery Award section I decided to read the book. To my surprise I loved this book and plan on watching the movie very soon.

I would have my class do a shoebox project, where they decorate the inside of a shoebox to correspond with their favorite scene from the book. I would also have my class watch the movie and look for differences between the book and the movie.

I've seen the movie and the play, and I'm pretty sure I read the book some twenty years ago. But even knowing the ending, I sobbed my way through the last chapter. It's a beautiful book, and a very sad one. Definitely recommended - just, perhaps, not as an audiobook on one's commute. ( )