A rope, a creek, a kingdom only two kids can rule — until the rope breaks.
Who drives the story
A fifth-grade boy in Lark Creek who trains all summer to be the fastest runner, and who secretly draws. He wants to be seen — by his father, by anyone. Leslie sees him, and losing her nearly destroys him.
The new girl from Washington, D.C., daughter of two writers, fearless and imaginative, with no television and no interest in fitting in. She invents Terabithia, makes Jess its king, and dies swinging across the creek alone.
Jess's little sister, who adores him and follows him everywhere, even to the outhouse. She loses her Twinkies to Janice Avery and, at the end, gains a kingdom.
Jess's father, tired and short-tempered, showing more affection to May Belle than to Jess. In Jess's grief he becomes the Dark Master — then the one who tells Jess to keep Leslie's memory alive.
The seventh-grade bully who steals May Belle's Twinkies and gets humiliated by a fake love letter. Her cruelty turns out to come from an abusive father, and she ends up defending Jess.
Leslie's father, a writer, who thanks Jess for being the best friend Leslie ever had — and later gives him the lumber to build the bridge.
Also in the story
The music teacher Jess has a crush on, who invites him to the National Gallery in Washington on the day Leslie dies. Her kindness is real — and the timing is the book's cruelest accident.
How they are connected
Leslie sees him, and losing her nearly destroys him.
Jess's little sister, who adores him and follows him everywhere, even to the outhouse.
She loses her Twinkies to Janice Avery and, at the end, gains a kingdom.
Jess's father, tired and short-tempered, showing more affection to May Belle than to Jess.
Jess's father, tired and short-tempered, showing more affection to May Belle than to Jess.
In Jess's grief he becomes the Dark Master — then the one who tells Jess to keep Leslie's memory alive.
Her cruelty turns out to come from an abusive father, and she ends up defending Jess.
The music teacher Jess has a crush on, who invites him to the National Gallery in Washington on the day Leslie dies.
The music teacher Jess has a crush on, who invites him to the National Gallery in Washington on the day Leslie dies.
Leslie's father, a writer, who thanks Jess for being the best friend Leslie ever had — and later gives him the lumber to build the bridge.
Leslie's father, a writer, who thanks Jess for being the best friend Leslie ever had — and later gives him the lumber to build the bridge.
Go deeper
Imagination as armor · Friendship across worlds · Guilt and grief · Becoming the person someone believed you were
Themes explainedThe full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.
Open the summary