Over the course of my 5th grade reading class, we were required to read several books. One of my all-time favorite books was Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. In the novel an unexpected friendship arises between the two characters Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. Jess Aarons is from a big family who lives on a farm. Leslie is from a wealthy family and is the only child. As their friendship grows the two become inseparable and spend a lot of time in their imaginary kingdom they name Terabithia. To enter Terabithia they had to swing on a rope across a creek. Much of the story takes place in their kingdom where they can escape from the reality of their lives where school and their families exist. The story ends in a terrible tragedy when one day Leslie attempts going to Terabithia on her own. The rope swing breaks and Leslie does not survive the accident. Jess is forced to overcome the loss of his best friend which inspires him to build a bridge to Terabithia.
I remember that this book was packed with a lot of emotion, and as a fifth grader I felt really sad as I finished the book. I could never imagine losing a friend so close to me at such a young age. To this day, this book is still one of my top choices to reread.
