Bridge To Terabithia

posted by Tim Walters @ 8:14 PM

Katherine Paterson, Bridge To Terabithia.

A children's book with what is in some ways a very standard story: two outsider kids get together and become best friends. But two things make a big difference:

--It's much better written than usual, without the overdramatization that so often accompanies this trope, and with all characters well-drawn, and

--there's a big surprise. At least, it would have been a big surprise, if it weren't trumpeted on book flap, and even the LoC classification. However, knowing it in advance didn't ruin anything.

First-rate kidlit. I'm not at all surprised that it won a Newberry.