Bridge to Terabithia: Katherine Paterson

Title: Bride to Terabithia
Writer: Katherine Paterson (novel)
Director: Gabor Csupo
Produced by: Walt Disney (2007)


Media Format: Book
Genre: Realistic with elements of fantasy
Selection Source: Newbery Medal
Reading Audience: Older Children & Young YAs, but the book/movie deals with mature themes
Watching Recommendation: 3.5 ***
Curriculum Connection: Dealing with death/dying


Summary
I, like the person who reviews this movie in the video above, and many others, was surprised to find out, upon watching this movie that it was not a fantasy. It was really marketed as a fantasy like The Chronicles of Narnia. It didn't bother me as much as some people, but it was something I noticed when the movie was about three quarters of the way over. This is not a fantasy movie. It incorporates elements of fantasy into a realistic story about two junior high school students who form a deep friendship. The protagonist is a boy named Jess. At first, he was dismayed by the new girl, Leslie who beats him in a foot race. She's quite persistent in pursuing his friendship, and it turns out there is a lot he can learn from her. She learns from him too, but she is the one who brings the energy to the relationship, and opens his eyes to the world and to himself. Unfortunately, beautiful friendships to not always last as long as they could/should, and Jess has to figure out how to move on without forgetting the magic that Leslie brought into his life.


Evaluation
This story is primarily aimed at junior high students, but it's possible that mature children could watch it, as well as older YAs. It's an archetypal friendship story. It's about two people who recognize that life is better, because they can share it with each other. They work together to help the teacher, thwart bullies, do chores at home, and create a magical kingdom which they rule from an abandoned tree house.
----Spoiler Alert----
It's primary use is to teach young people about dealing with the death of a friend, and how to move on from that tragic situation without forgetting that person.

Th1rteen R3asons Why: Jay Asher

Title: Th1rteen R3asons Why Author: Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill


Media Format: Book
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Selection Source: Cindy Stafford--Librarian at South Miami High School
Recommended Audience: All teens
Reading Recommendation: 5 *****
Curriculum Connections: Sociology


Review
When I told Cindy Stafford, Librarian at South Miami High School, that I was looking for some good YA books to read for a young adults materials class, she took me directly to Th1rteen R3asons Why. She gave it a glowing recommendation, and said that it got teens talking in their book discussion group like no book before or since. I couldn't pass up a recommendation like that, so I checked it out to find out why it did such a good job of stimulating discussion amongst teens.


Clay Jensen received a box of cassette tapes, and after listening to the contents within them, he'll never be the same. He had a crush on a girl named Hannah, and he had reasons to believe that she shared those feelings, until her sudden suicide a couple of weeks before. Within those tapes are the thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself, and by possessing those tapes, Clay knows he is one of those reasons. He is afraid to hear how he may have contributed to the death of a girl he could have loved, but he's compelled to listen. He finds out how seemingly inconsequential and unrelated events add up to an unbearable burden for Hannah.


Evaluation
Th1rteen R3asons Why does something that is very important for YA books. It grabs readers' attention immediately, and stimulates their curiosity. Also it does a great job of synchronizing readers' minds with that of the protagonist. Even though this book fits the realistic fiction genre, early on it introduces an element of mystery that prods readers to move insatiably forward. Readers cannot help but share Clay's obsession with the contents of those tapes. As the relationship between Clay and Hannah becomes clearer, it only increases the mystery of the role Clay could have played in the girl's death. Along with the mystery, there are lessons to be learned in this book about unintended consequences, and the power we have to affect others through our interpersonal relations.