I listened to this book on disk with my kids, 12 and 8, which I felt was fine as I knew many of their friends had seen the movie. It is a wonderful book, with some very good themes -- it was good for the kids to hear about kids who were lucky to get one gift for Christmas, who had serious chores that needed to be done without exception (including Christmas,) and who dealt with bullying and hard times using their own smarts. It even touched on the different sides of religion and, of course, the death of a best friend. My biggest issue with this book (aside from the fact I failed to read the back and therefore didn't realize until half way through that one of the main characters was about to die) was the part about Christmas. My 8-year old was a little confused when the author talked about how the parents couldn't afford to give the kids more than one gift from Santa, and I skipped the next chapter when they started talking about how sad it was that the little girl's hope in a guy in a red suit was "sad". I did some fast talking about how odd it was that the parents were so worried about gifts when Santa brought those with him, then moved on. Most of the other issues can be worked with for any age over 8 or 9, as long as the parent is willing to go through each issue either ahead of time or at that time, but wait until they're past the Christmas issue!
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Is it age appropriate?
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Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Honest, moving story of friendship and loss.
updated 07.04.08
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 9 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence :
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Sex :
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Bridge to Terabithia
Parents need to know that this Newbery winner with positive and imaginative tween characters is a real tear-jerker at the end when a main character dies.
Read our full review by Amy Finley
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about so much in this book, from friendship to imagination to loss. How does Terabithia strengthen Jesse and Leslie's friendship? In what ways is their fantasy world similar to their everyday world? Have you ever constructed a fantasy world?
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Most Recent Reviews
I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give itA great book, but caution...
- Lives in LouisianaI rate this title off for age 11 and give it
ok the book seemed like BLAH-BLAH-BLAH the movie was soooooooooooo much better
- Lives inI rate this title on for age 14 and give it
Keep your mind wide open.
- Lives in GeorgiaI rate this title on for age 10 and give it
I LOVED the book and movie!!!
OMG!! This is a MUST!! You HAVE to buy this!!! (I don't really recommend this for children under the age 10. It's sort of sad.) :(
- Lives in WashingtonI rate this title on for age 8 and give it
A must-read book for every 8-12-year-old"
the book is so wonderful
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