Jesse is only ever remembered when the time comes for someone to be nagged or picked on.įor these reasons, Jesse finds himself sad, alone, and under constant pressure to impress his family – especially his father to reclaim his integrity. She makes the home and attends to the needs of the girls – knocking Jesse’s wants down the pecking order. Aarons is way too worried about counting bills and debts to care about Jesse’s needs. If he ever has even a little chance, he would rather spend it with the girls, and tell Jesse to deal with it – that men are supposed to be tough. Aarons is a workaholic who doesn’t have time for Jesse and is always busy with work – which sees him travel several miles to Washington daily. Jesse lives with his parents and four siblings and is the only male child of Mr. Spoiler alert: Important details of the novel are revealed belowĪbout the year the 1970s in a small town in Virginia called Lark Creek is Jesse, a sad 10-year-old racing through the cow field in rehearsal. He and Leslie would then create Terabithia, a magical country, that allows them to live their dreams and fantasies, but one day as Jesse returns from out of town, he is told that the unthinkable has happened to Leslie, and despite the shock from the news, Jesse is presented with the tasks of defeating his guilt and sadness to step up and fix things as a leader. Despite hating Leslie for stealing his dream, Jesse can’t help but admire the freedom with which Leslie ran – so he gets close and becomes her friend. The D-Day comes only for Jesse – and all the other boys – to be defeated by a girl named Leslie who lives a few blocks away from his house. He has been training hard since the start of summer and must come out the comfortable winner of the race if he’s ever going to gain the respect of his father – who thinks he’s too weak and girly. ‘Spoiler Free’ Bridge to Terabithia Summaryġ0 years old Jesse Aarons runs through the cow fields rehearsing for the upcoming running competition for fifth-graders at his school. Later, he finds a friend in fellow fifth-grader Leslie, and together both discover new adventures that will transform both of their lives. Jesse feels lonely for not getting the attention he needs from his parents – who are too busy to notice him. ‘ Bridge to Terabithia’ invites readers into the life of the troubled Jesse Aarons from a small town called Lark Creek.

Book of terabithia