Bridge to Terabithia

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Think about a friendship that changed how you see the world. What parallels can you draw between that relationship and Leslie and Jess's connection?

2. How does Jess's struggle with expressing his artistic side resonate with your own experiences of pursuing interests that others have discouraged?

3. When have you encountered a place like Terabithia—somewhere that allowed you to be entirely yourself?

4. Consider a time when you felt like an outsider. How did you handle this pressure? How did your approach mirror or differ from Leslie’s experiences of being different from her peers?

5. Like Jess, have you ever felt caught between family expectations and your own interests? How did you navigate this challenge?

Examine the book's relevance to broader societal issues, cultural trends, and ethical dilemmas.

1. How does the novel use the contrast between the Aarons and Burke families to address specific socioeconomic disparities? What insights does this aspect of the novel offer about the dynamics of class divisions in rural communities?

2. Consider characters such as Leslie, Miss Edmunds, and Jess. What do the traits and actions of these characters suggest about gender roles and expectations in 1970s America?

3. How do the limited resources at Lark Creek Elementary reflect broader issues about educational inequality? Are these concerns still relevant today?

Dive into the book's structure, characters, themes, and use of narrative techniques.

1. When the rope swing is replaced by a bridge at the end of the novel, what symbolic significance does this imagery hold? How does this change reflect Jess's character development?

2. How does Paterson use the setting of Terabithia to explore the relationship between imagination and courage?

3. How does Mrs. Myers transform from an antagonistic figure to a source of comfort? What does this shift reveal about the novel's approach to character complexity?

4. How does the author use physical descriptions of the landscape to mirror the characters' emotional states?

5. Consider the role of Prince Terrien in the story. How does this character serve both the realistic and the magical elements of the narrative?