Bridge to Terabithia

This book focuses on the friendship of a boy and a girl who "share imaginative play," according to an expert review. They create the magical kingdom of Terabithia. The novel also features a child passing away and grief afterwards, which may make some readers start bawling. There's mention of scattering ashes, which may be upsetting for some kids. Strong language is used throughout: "bitch," "damn," and "hell."

This book is sweet but heartbreaking. It may give children a negative view of life, due to a beloved character's death, and it has some profanity. It's still a sweet, uplifting book though.

I read this novel in class when I was in 5th grade, and I loved it a lot. It was really intriguing, and although some of the themes and language might push this book slightly outside the child-friendly zone, I didn't feel too baffled or overwhelmed when I read through the last few chapters. It also felt rather relateable, as I'd also dealt with a lot of bullying in the past. I loved the movie too. I know most people hate movie productions of books, but I'm personally kind of a fan. I thought it was nicely produced and all the necessary bits were in there. Now I'm well into high school, but looking back, it's still one of those tween memories I cherish quite a lot. Great book. Definitely worth a read for tweens.

This book brings up so many important issues like feminism, self-trust, bullying, and more. But the part about Jess and Miss Edmunds is a little bit confusing whether or not it is a oedipus complex syndrom.

My son brought the book to me and was uncomfortable with the language being used. Early on the book has quite a few words that we don't use. My husband and I are not sure whether to let him continue reading or wait until our son is a little older. I'm not sure he would be willing to read it now. Too bad, because I had heard such great things about the story. A little disappointing that the language would detract from the story.

this book is very well written, but does have some bad language. 8 year olds may need to be mature enough, this does have a death of a somewhat liked character. it might disturb some. it was a child, too, that might make a child scared, of their own death, this one is good, but to think about.

My 8 year old son and I just finished this book. Although I loved the book, I wish that I had waited another year or so to read it to my son. For one thing, it is not good for Santa believers due to some scenes that take place at Christmas. Also, it is very sad at the end-- we both cried. My son had trouble accepting the ending, he kept thinking that somehow a "happy ending" that would change the outcome would still happen right until the last page. He was was angry that didn't happen. That said, we both really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book. We loved the main characters' friendship and their lovely kingdom of Terabithia. I am glad we read it.

I am currently reading this book with my 5th and 6th graders. It is a wonderful tale with a beautiful message about how friendship can transcend gender (which can lead to the discussion of friendship transcending age, race, etc...). However, I want parents to be aware of the use of the word hell used repeatedly as well as an occasional use of other words not used in common everyday language.