A young boy befriends a new girl who moves to town and they create a magical, fantasy world all of their own, free of interference from others as they experience the ups and downs that life brings you.

Watching Bridge to Terabithia for the first time was one of those experiences that it's hard to recapture due to just how sheerly realistic and heavy-hitting things get. I won't go to deeply into details here to avoid spoilers, but it really is a kids' movie unlike any other because while it does have many wholesome, innocent, and family friendly moments, it's not afraid to tackle the tougher issues that we face in life, which is what makes this such an outstanding film. It isn't unrealistically safe; it explores the darker aspects of life and provides a reassuring look to them. Truly a great and rather underappreciated film that many more families should watch.

Story: A+
Acting: B
Design: B
Music: C
Content: B

Content Notes: Some obviously imaginative fantasy violence, although things do ratchet up a bit in the intensity scale later on. There is also some mild language in a scene or two. ( )

from notecard for class in 2004:

Rating: 3- (out of a 3 star system?)

Summary: A boy learns some unusual lessons about life when he befriends an "unusual" girl, whom teaches him to imagine, and helps encourage his artistic side. The lessons he's learned from her will eventually help him deal with her tragic accidental death, and enables him to bring the world of "Terabithia" to his own sister as well.

RL: 4.6; IL: MG

The story Bridge to Terabithia is about a boy that meets this girl that comes to live down the road from him. In the story the boy and girl make up a magic kingdom that they are the king and queen of and they rule the land. In the story the boy and girl fight goblins and giants in there magical kingdom. In the story there is a tragedy that accrues the little girl. The boy has to learn to deal with the pain of losing someone that he really cares for.

The book was very personal to me to have to see how a child would go through if they lost a friend that they were really close to. One of the conflicts in this story is person verse self because the boy has to deal with struggles in his thoughts.

If you have a child in your class room that have dealt with someone dying this would be a good book to read and discuses how they would feel if someone close to the passed away. After you have read this book to your class you could also have them to tell if they have every made-up a magical kingdom that they would go to with friends and you could have them draw pictures of there kingdoms that they have made-up.

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