Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson, is a wonderful example of a novel that
contains nearly every evaluative criteria for contemporary realistic fiction.
However, it is the story’s setting that influences and allows the plot to
develop as it does. Set in the small town of Lark Creek, outside of Washington
D.C., Bridge to Terabithia gives the
main characters, Jess and Leslie, just enough room, freely roaming the
countryside near their farmhouses, to develop their private friendship and
allow their imaginations to create their magical kingdom of Terabithia, among
the pine trees and river. Jess and Leslie reside as king and queen of
Terabithia, and it is in that place that they are able to share with each other
their deepest feelings and evolve personalities that fully compliment one
another. Jess’s small-town, simple and pure mind, a product of living in Lark
Creek his entire life, is awakened by
the more contemporary characters of Leslie and his teacher, Miss Edmunds.
However, it is the plot that weaves together such believable characters and
drives home the themes of friendship, childhood imagination, and eventually
death and personal transformation, during the climax and denouement of this
novel. Bridge to Terabithia gracefully
handles these themes through plot, and character development, without
over-analyzing them or forcing them on younger readers. They evolve naturally,
and Bridge to Terabithia is one of
the rare novels that is able to tackle the theme of death for young children,
in a realistic and and age-appropriate manner.
Evaluative
Criteria: Setting, Plot, Theme (included in review)
Paterson, Katherine (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. Harper Collins Publishing. New York. -Ms. J
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