Bridge to Terabithia

There Jesse went with his sister, May Belle, cheering him on “Go Jesse!” He went full speed ahead and past Scott Hoager, he was almost to the finish line-what's this? The new student, Leslie beat Jesse in the race! Here begins the magnificent story of a young boy who befriends a new girl at school and how they discover a new world together in their imaginations.

Jesse was a low-class boy who was bullied every day because he was poor. His parents were farmers. Leslie was a middle-class girl with a big house. Her parents were authors. She may not have been bullied, but she was pushed aside from the rest of the girls. Since both of the kids weren't accepted, Leslie tried to become friends with Jesse. A strange coincidence that helped Leslie was that they were both neighbors, and could become friends much easier. Soon after, she was friends with Jesse. She raced him into the forest and to a rope hanging above a creek. “I wouldn't trust that rope, it has been there for years”, said Jesse. But Leslie didn't listen and swung right across. Across the creek, Jesse and Leslie discovered a magical land in their imagination, which they called Terabithia.

As their friendship was growing, Jesse and Leslie raced to Terabithia every day. They swung across the rope and saw the bare land turn into a magnificent kingdom right before their very eyes. Jesse learned to keep his mind wide open to all possibilities, which allowed him to see his imagination clearly. The two friends discovered what their imaginations had in store for them. Soon they had started creating their own Terabithians. They were all named after people in their lives. For example, the squirrels suddenly became ferocious animals called Sqogres, named after squirrels and Scott Hoager, a bully. The mountain troll looked like Janice Avery, an eighth grade girl who was once a bully. Leslie even made up the idea of an evil sorcerer of the black, who terrorized the Terabithians before the rule of Leslie and Jesse. The two friends made up some creative stories and put them into action by using their imagination.

The two friends realized that Jesse's talent for art and Leslie's talent for writing was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, their talents were helping them create Terabithia. Creating Terabithia taught them both about working hard. Jesse learned from Leslie's dad, Bill Burke, that working hard can sometimes be fun. “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing”, he later quoted from Roosevelt, to his parents after completing his chores. Everything was going well for Jesse and Leslie. Jesse got to meet Leslie's parents and Leslie got to go to church with Jesse. They both worked hard to create Terabithia. But suddenly a tragic accident occurred that would change their lives forever.

“Your friend Leslie Burke… is dead… she was apparently trying to swing across a rope on a creek out in the forest”, said Jesse's father. After Leslie's death, Jesse was never the same. He was very upset about it and was never lively in class again. He even punched Scott Hoager in the face during class because he made a joke about it. Jesse got really angry when May Belle tried to come into Terabithia. But he soon realized that he can still keep her in his heart. “She loved you, you know”, said Bill Burke. Jesse decided to build a bridge to Terabithia, so that no other accidents could happen. He brought May Belle into it and made her the second queen of Terabithia. As soon as May Belle and Jesse entered, all the Terabithians appeared to greet their new queen. The wooden bridge that Jesse had built turned into marble. May Belle's crown turned into gold. “Terabithia!” exclaimed May Belle.