The 100 Books Project; Bridge to Terabithia.

“Jess drew the way some people drank whiskey. The peace would start at the top of his muddled brain and seep down through his tired and tensed-up body. Lord, he loved to draw.”

“Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson

I’m almost certain that Bridge to Terabithia was one of those books, like Tuck Everlasting, The Westing Game, and The Giver, that I read in elementary school. But, unlike those other titles, I did not remember hardly anything about Bridge to Terabithia; I knew the general plot. I knew the big dramatic event that left this book grounded as a classic of children’s literature, but I didn’t remember ever really reading it before. After reading it again, I’m not surprised. The book is charming and a little compelling at first, but I simply felt that the magic didn’t stick, and the conclusion came rather swiftly. Perhaps it was simply because I knew what was coming that took some of the blow out of it, but I felt pretty underwhelmed, especially considering my love for the other three books mentioned.

Even though I wasn’t as completely captivated by the tale of Jess and his new friend Leslie and their magical world of imagination in the woods (I actually quite enjoyed that part; it reminded me of when I was a kid myself, but it was just everything else interspersed within it that couldn’t hold me), it is still a pretty moving book. I finished it just last night, and the descriptions and feelings of grief that the main character goes through rang incredibly true for how I felt about Brian’s death.

It’s a good book; it obviously made me feel something because it touched a visceral part of something I’ve experienced, but I feel there could have been more. I might have been spoiled by knowing the story, but I expected…more. I would be intrigued to see the movie recently made, not only because I am a fan of Anna-Sophia Robb, but also because I know, for movie magic, they would be beefing up the fantasticism of the imaginary world of Terabithia, and it might be better at taking my breath away in the manner I expected from the book.

Books Read: 36 out of 100.