| Bridge To Terabithia |
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PLOT Jess is the only boy in a family of five children. His mother seems to favor his sisters, and his father works in a distant city and doesn't have much time for him. Leslie's family has just moved to this area in an attempt to start a new life. Both children are loners who don't fit in with their peers at school: Jess is intensely interested in art, and Leslie's family does not practice a religion, and doesn't even own a Television Set . The two outsiders soon become close friends. Together, they create an imaginary kingdom in the woods near their homes, accessible only by a rope swing over a creek, that they name "Terabithia." They crown themselves King and Queen, and spend many hours there. The central crisis of the novel occurs when Jess accompanies a teacher to an art show in Washington D.C. , and Leslie goes to Terabithia alone. The rope breaks as she is swinging over the rain-swollen creek, and she Drowns . Jess finds out about the accident when he returns from his trip. Jess can overcome his grief only with the strength and courage that his friendship with Leslie has given him. The plot of the book originated in real-life experiences. When Katherine Paterson's son was a child, his close friend Lisa Hill was killed by Lightning . Paterson wrote the book while coming to terms with this loss. In the United States the novel was one of the most Banned and challenged books of the 1990s , due largely to death being a part of the plot, Jess's frequent use of the word "Lord" outside of prayer, and concerns that the book promotes Secular Humanism and New Age religions, occultism, Satanism, and for accusations of sexual content. In contrast, during the same era the book was studied in English classes in the United Kingdom and Canada. Despite the controversy, some students in the United States also studied the book. TEREBITHIA / TEREBINTHIA Terabithia is the imaginary kingdom in '' Bridge To Terabithia ''. The similarly named ''' Terebinthia ''', however, is an island in the fictional world of Narnia , briefly mentioned in both '' Prince Caspian '' and '' The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader '', novels by C. S. Lewis . Katherine Paterson acknowledges that Terebithia is likely derived from Terebinthia:
It should also be noted that ''Bridge to Terabithia'' makes reference to '' The Chronicles Of Narnia ,'' with Leslie lending the stories to Jess so that he can learn to behave like a king. IN FILM ''Bridge to Terabithia'' was made into a film for the Disney Channel in 1985 , starring Julian Coutts and Julie Beaulieu . A new version planned for a 2007 release is in the works at Walden Media , with Gabor Csupo directing. Some filming took place in early February 2006, at Riverhead Primary School in Riverhead , New Zealand. The school became Lark Creek Elementary School for the duration of the shoot, which occurred during the school's summer vacation. CAST (only announced are listed) Josh Hutcherson .... Jesse Aarons AnnaSophia Robb .... Leslie Burke Lauren Clinton .... Janice Avery Zooey Deschanel .... Miss Edmunds Isabelle Rose Kircher .... Carla Bailee Madison .... Maybelle Aarons Robert Patrick .... Mr. Jesse Aarons, Sr. Cameron Wakefield .... Scott Hoager Latham Gaines .... Bill Burke Erin Annis .... Ellie Aarons Devon Wood .... Brenda Aarons Elliot Lawless .... Gary Fulcher Tyler Atfield .... 8th Grade Boy Summer Purcell .... Janice's Friend Sophie Nathan .... Maybelle's Friend REFERENCES
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