Jess And Leslie In The Bridge To Terabithia

The Bridge to Terabithia is a story about two 10-year-old fifth graders named Jess and Leslie who create their own world called Terabithia. Jess and Leslie create this imaginary place, as a way for them to escape reality and to express themselves without judgement from others. The way Jess and Leslie can enter Terabithia is by swinging on a rope over the creek to get to the other side of the woods. Once inside Terabithia, Jess and Leslie are rulers of the kingdom and fight monsters to protect it. Jess and Leslie throughout the story have many adventures inside Terabithia until something terrible happens.
The main characters in The Bridge to Terabithia is Jess Oliver Aarons, Jr., Leslie Burke, and Miss Edmunds. Jess Aarons is the protagonist

and the story is told through his point of view. Jess lives on a farm in Lark Creek with his mom, dad and four sisters. Jess ‘s family is very poor and because of this, Jess is forced to perform most of the chores on the farm. Jess enjoys drawing and painting, but receives very little encouragement from his father. Jess also loves to run and tries to prove that he is the fastest runner in the fifth grade. Whenever Jess is running he feels free until Leslie comes along. Leslie Burke is a new student who recently moved to Lark Creek. Leslie is in the same grade and class a Jess and is intelligent. Leslie is different and stands out because she is open-minded. Leslie’s parents are very smart, highly educated, and creative. Because of this, Leslie is very creative and doesn’t live a life full of restrictions and responsibilities like Jess. Leslie is also a lot like the music teacher Miss Edmunds. Miss Edmunds is a young music teacher at Lark Creek Elementary. Miss Edmunds personality is a lot like Leslie’s as she is also very intelligent and open-minded. Miss Edmunds is the only person besides Leslie that Jess can confined in. Miss Edmund sees Jess’s potential in the arts and encourages him to follow his dreams. Jess has a crush on Miss Edmunds as well which is why he admires her.
The main conflicts in the Bridge to Terabithia are Jess vs Leslie, and Jess vs the bully.

When Jess first meets Leslie he doesn’t quite understand her and is somewhat jealous of her. Jess is the fastest runner in the fifth grade until Leslie comes along. Leslie beats Jess in a race which makes Jess really angry because he lost to a girl. Jess wants Leslie to stay away from him as he thinks that she follows him home. Jess realizes that Leslie is his new neighbor which makes him even more upset. The conflict is later resolved when Jess and Leslie become friends when Jess stands up for Leslie. Leslie one day goes to sit on the back of the bus where the seventh grade bully Janice Avery sits. Janice doesn’t like it when younger kids try to sit in the back of the bus and will bully all who try. Jess stands up to Janice for Leslie and makes fun of her weight. This is when Jess and Leslie become friends and the conflict is resolved. The other conflict is Jess and the bully Janice. Through the book Janice bullies on Jess and other young students because she is upset with her own life. Jess and Janice have many altercations on the bus and at school. The conflict between Jess and Janice is resolved when Leslie is no more and Janice feels sorry for Jess and decides to be nice to

him.
The Bridge to Terabithia all comes to an end when Jess goes to one weekend with Miss Edmunds to an art museum. Jess is invited to go with Miss Edmunds to an art museum which makes Jess really happy. Jess enjoys the museum trip and is excited to get back home to tell Leslie all about it. Upon arrival Jess sees police cars at Leslies house and realizes that something is wrong. Jess finds out from his father that Leslie tried to swing into Terabithia and the rope broke. Leslie feel into the water and hit her head on the rocks and drowned. Jess is left completely devastated and blames himself for her death because he went to the art museum with Miss Edmunds. Jess later realizes that Terabithia must go on and decides to let his little sister May Belle enter Terabithia. But before doing this Jess builds a bridge so that no one can die like Leslie did and that the magic of Terabithia can go on.
I enjoyed The Bridge to Terabithia because it is a story about two best friends coming together despite their differences to create a magical world. The Bridge to Terabithia also emphasizes the importance of friendship, courage, and fearlessness. I would recommend The Bridge to Terabithia to children and parents because it is a relatable story that all can understand and enjoy.