Learsi Rodriguez                                an Appreciation

810

     This book had many great things I could appreciate about it, but the one that stood out the most to tell you the truth was the relationship between the characters: Jess and Leslie. I could actually feel their emotions and I was able to answer a question I had which was: What is the true meaning of friendship? So while I kept on reading I was able to get three main ideas and evidence from the text to back them up so that I could really show what I appreciated about Bridge to Terabithia. It wasn’t hard trying to look for main ideas about their friendship, because the author does a great job showing the reader how the friendship between the characters is special. So here is what I appreciated about Bridge to Terabithia.

  Jess and Leslie are different in many different ways, but always even each other out somehow. One example is how Jess starts off in the beginning as a shy person who doesn’t say very much and usually just keeps to himself in a quiet way. Then as soon as Leslie comes along and becomes his friend he opens up. It’s like he becomes this new person who now interacts and says more things then before. As I compare the way Jess is further into the book than when he was in the beginning I can say that if it wasn’t for Leslie being his friend, showing jess how it really is to act like a kid and opening his mind he wouldn’t have changed at all. Their friendship is a friendship that has special value, because their friendship has just brought them more happiness and their friendship has just been making them much stronger. An example from the text was on page 76-79 Leslie and Jess were exchanging gifts and they both just gave each other a present that both would appreciate very much. Leslie got a dog from Jess and Jess got water colors From Leslie. Without showing it in a physical way like by a hug you can just see in their emotions and thoughts that both were very grateful, because both knew awww my friend knows me really well so look at what she/he got me.

When it came to their world Terabithia its like they became one person. Their skills combined are the reason Terabithia was created. Jess has his artistic skills and Leslie has her imagination/creative skills with both of these skills combined that is how Terabithia was made. Their world wasn’t just an ordinary world, their world had their minds put together and it’s just like their world was just made up of just them. Its like Leslie was the queen and Jess was the king, they both made up very smart decisions together and mostly did everything together when it came up to Terabithia. It’s very cool how they are very different but when it come to them being together they are the same not different.

A connection I had the book was that I can relate myself to Jess in a way, because both of us really care about friendship. Friendship is important to me, because a friend to me is like a sibling where we can do things together, share things together, support each other and if it wasn’t for friendship between my friends I wouldn’t actually be the person I am today. Just like how if it wasn’t for Leslie helping Jess opens up more. It’s actually like my friend yalenny and I how she really helped me open up and really help me express my self more in creative ways. So that is how I can relate to the characters and the book/topic about friendship.

This topic within the book Bridge to Terabithia really reminds me of the book charlottes web. This topic on friendship reminds me of charlottes web, because in charlottes web there are two characters that are similar to Jess and Leslie. Their names are Wilbur and Charlotte, the only differences is that they are animals. The same events also happen between the characters in the book charlotte dies. In Bridge to Terabithia Leslie dies these two events connect, because the two people that really help the two boys open up die. By this event both of those characters actually grow stronger and learn how to be more like the character who died.

This topic about friendship also goes for real things that happen in everyday life. Like how there is this hippo and turtle named Owen and mzee. They are inseparable friends who are always their for each other. This really reminds me of Leslie and Jess, because they are also inseparable friends! This really shows me that friendship is so important to everyone ,even the animals.

Q: What makes a book worth reading?

A: For a book to be worth reading it has to have real value. What I mean is it really has to have the three things a reader looks for in a book which is:

1. interesting/meaningful story line

2. creative/imaginative details

3. Deep/emotional feelings within the characters

For me as a reader Bridge to Terabithia has these things and that is why it’s a special book and it’s worth reading!!!