内容简介
Now a major motion picture, discover the beloved Newbery Medal-winning story of Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. Join Jess and Leslie as they form an unlikely friendship and create the imaginary land of Terabithia. There they rule as king and queen, until a terrible tragedy occurs that helps Jess understand just how much he has learned from Leslie.
作者简介
Katherine Paterson was born in China, where she spent part of her childhood. After her education in China and the American South, she spent four years in Japan, the setting for her first three novels. Ms. Paterson has received numerous awards for her writing, including National Book Awards for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, as well as Newbery Medals for Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia. Ms. Paterson lives with her husband in Vermont. They have four grown children.
精彩书评
Paterson's Newbery-winning novel becomes an entertaining and dramatic audiobook via Leonard's accomplished reading. Jess Aarons is eager to start fifth grade. He's been practicing his sprints all summer, determined to become the fastest runner at school. All seems to be on track, until the new girl in class (who also happens to be Jess's new next-door neighbor), Leslie Burke, leaves all the boys in the dust, including Jess. After this rather frustrating introduction, Jess and Leslie soon become inseparable. Together, they create an imaginary, secret kingdom in the woods called Terabithia that can be reached only by swinging across a creek bed on a rope. But one morning a tragic accident befalls Leslie as she ventures alone to Terabithia, and Jess's life is changed forever. Leonard deftly interprets the strands of humor, realism and heart-wrenching emotion woven into Paterson's fine tale. His careful and authentic handling of Jess's anger and grief in the aftermath of the accident is sure to touch listeners. Contemporary instrumental interludes featuring guitar, piano and drums signal the beginning and end of each tape side.
--Publishers Weekly
精彩书摘
Chapter One
Jesse Oliver Aarons, Yr.
Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity--Good. His dad had the pickup going. He could get up now. Jess slid out of bed and into his overalls. He didn't worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill, or shoes because the, bottoms of his feet were by now as tough as his worn-out sneakers.
ere you going, Jess?" May Belle lifted herself up sleepily from the double bed where she and Joyce Ann slept.
"Sh." He warned. The walls were thin. Momma would be mad as flies in a fruit jar if they woke her up this time of day.
He patted May Belle's hair and yanked the twisted sheet up to her small chin. "Just over the cow field," he whispered. May Belle smiled and snuggled down under the- sheet.
"Gonna run?"
"Maybe."
Of course he was going to run. He had. gotten up early every day all summer to run. He figured if he worked at itand Lord, had he worked-he could be- the fastest runner in the fifth grade when school opened up. He had to be the fastest-not one of the fastest or next to the fastest, but the fastest. The very best.
He tiptoed out of the house. The place was so rattly that it screeched whenever you put your foot down, but Jess had found that if you tiptoed, it gave only a low moan, and he could usually get outdoors without waking Momma or Ellie or Brenda or Joyce Ann. May Belle was another matter. She was going on seven, and she worshiped him, which was OK sometimes. When you were the only boy smashed between four sisters, and the older two had despised you ever since you stopped letting them dress you up and wheel you around in their rusty old doll carriage, and the littlest one.cried if you looked at ther cross-eyed, it was nice to have somebody who worshiped you. Even if it got unhandy sometimes.
He began to trot across the yard. His breath, was coming out in little puffs--cold for August. But it was early yet. By noontime when his mom would have him out working, it would be hot enough.
Miss Bessie stared at him sleepily as he climbed across the scrap heap, over the fence, and into the cow field. "Moo--oo," she said, looking for all the world like another May Belle with her big, brown droopy eyes.
"Hey, Miss Bessie," Jess said soothingly. "Just go on back to sleep."
Miss Bessie strolled over to a greenish patch-most of the field was brown and dry-and yanked up a mouthful.
"That'a girl. Just eat your breakfast. Don't pay me no mind."
He always started at the northwest comer of the field, crouched over like the runners he had seen on Wide World of Sports.
"Bang," he said, and took off flying around the cow field. Miss Bessie strolled toward the center, still following him with her droopy eyes, chewing slowly. She didn't look very smart, even for a cow, but she was plenty bright enough to get out of Jess's way.
His straw-colored hair flapped hard against his forehead, and his arms and legs flew out every which way. He had never learned to run properly, but he was long-legged for a tenyear-old, and no one had more grit than he.
Lark Creek Elementary was short on everything, especially athletic equipment, so all the balls went to the upper grades at recess time after lunch. Even if a fifth grader started out the period with a ball, it was sure to be in the hands of a sixth or seventh grader before the hour was half over. The older boys always took the dry center of the upper field for
their ball games, while the girls claimed the small top section for hopscotch and jump rope and hanging around talking. So the lower-grade boys had started this running thing. They would all line up on the far side of the lower field, where it was either muddy or deep crusty ruts. Earle Watson who was no good at running, but had, a big mouth, would yell "Bang!" and they'd race to a line they'd- toed across at the other end.
One time last year Jesse had won. Not just I the first heat but the whole shebang. Only once. But it had put into his mouth a. taste for winning. Ever since he'd been in first grade he'd been that "crazy little kid that draws all the time." But one day--April the twenty-second, a drizzly Monday, it had been-he ran ahead of them all, the red mud slooching up through the holes in the bottom of his sneakers..
For the rest of that day, and until after lunch on the next, he had been "the fastest kid in- the third, fourth, and fifth grades," and he only a fourth grader. On Tuesday, Wayne Pettis had won again as usual.. But this year Wayne Pettis would be in the sixth grade. He'd play football until Christmas and baseball until June with the rest of the big guys. Anybody had a chance to be the fastest runner and by, Miss Bessie, this year it was going to be Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr.
Jess pumped his arms harder and bent his head for thedistant fence. He could hear the third-grade boys screaminghim on. They would follow him around like a country-musicstar. And May Belle would pop her buttons. Her brother wasthe fastest, the best. That ought to give the rest of the firstgrade de something to chew their cuds on.
Even his dad would be proud. Jess rounded the corner. He couldn't keep going quite so fast, but he continued running for a while--it would, build him up.
前言/序言
仙境之桥 (Bridge to Terabithia) 故事梗概 一、 杰西的内心世界与渴望 故事的主人公杰西·亚伦斯(Jesse Aarons)是一个生活在乡村的十岁男孩,他性格内向、敏感,常常感到被周围的世界所疏离。他的家庭并不富裕,父亲是一个辛勤劳作的农夫,对杰西的期望常常是希望他能更“像个男人”,这让杰西感到压力重重。在学校里,杰西同样难以融入集体,他沉默寡言,笨拙而害羞,时常成为其他男孩,特别是布尔曼兄弟欺负的对象。 杰西最大的天赋和热情在于绘画。他渴望用画笔记录下他眼中世界的色彩与形态,但这份爱好不被家人理解,他只能偷偷摸摸地在笔记本上描画,将自己的情感寄托于纸张之上。他尤其渴望得到父亲的认可,但父亲的严厉和不解,使他将自己的梦想深埋心底。 在家庭中,杰西有一个对他非常重要的妹妹迈·简(May Belle),她活泼、忠诚,是杰西最亲密的伙伴。她天真地崇拜着杰西,是杰西在现实世界中少有的温暖依靠。 二、 莱斯莉的到来与友谊的萌芽 转折点出现在新学期,一个名叫莱斯莉·伯克(Leslie Burke)的女孩转学来到了杰西所在的班级。莱斯莉和她的父母从城市搬来,她身上散发着一种与众不同的、充满活力的气质。莱斯莉思想开放,富有想象力,她对学校生活的一切都充满了好奇和探索的欲望。 起初,杰西对莱斯莉抱有戒心,甚至有些抗拒。他的朋友们因为莱斯莉家庭的“古怪”——她的父母不务农、只从事写作工作——而对她保持距离,杰西也试图融入群体,疏远莱斯莉。然而,莱斯莉的真诚和坚持最终打动了杰西。她不惧怕杰西的沉默,主动与他交流,发现了他对艺术的热爱,并真诚地赞赏他的天赋。 莱斯莉是第一个真正理解并欣赏杰西内心世界的人。她鼓励杰西勇敢地表达自己,并教他如何看待生活中的挫折与不公。他们的友谊如同干涸的土地迎来了甘霖,迅速而深刻地发展起来。 三、 特拉比西亚的创建与王国生活 一天,莱斯莉发现了一片位于他们家和学校之间的小树林深处的小溪。这条小溪将两岸隔开,形成了一个隐秘的、未被成人世界发现的角落。受到共同的想象力的驱使,杰西和莱斯莉决定将这片小溪对岸的林地开辟成他们自己的秘密王国——特拉比西亚(Terabithia)。 特拉比西亚不仅仅是一个物理空间,它更是一个精神避难所。在这里,杰西不再是那个笨拙、被排挤的男孩,莱斯莉也不再是那个“奇怪”的转学生。在特拉比西亚,他们是国王和女王,共同构建了复杂的社会结构、历史、神话和法律。他们创造了各种传说中的生物,对抗着想象中的敌人,例如邪恶的巫师、被奴役的精灵,以及盘踞在森林中的“黑暗势力”。 为了进出特拉比西亚,杰西用废弃的绳索搭建了一个简陋的秋千,横跨小溪。这道“桥梁”是他们往来现实世界与梦想世界的通道,象征着他们友谊的力量和他们对想象力的掌控。 在特拉比西亚,杰西的绘画才能得到了极大的释放。莱斯莉的鼓励让他敢于将自己的画作展示给美术老师,这位老师很快就发现了杰西的潜力,并给予了他宝贵的指导和鼓励,甚至为他报名参加了艺术比赛。 四、 现实的挑战与情感的深化 随着时间的推移,杰西和莱斯莉的友谊面临着现实的考验。在学校里,他们依然要应对来自布尔曼兄弟的霸凌,以及其他同学对莱斯莉的嘲笑。但特拉比西亚的力量让他们能够共同抵御外界的恶意。 与此同时,杰西的家庭关系也在微妙地变化。他的父亲虽然不善言辞,但在看到儿子在绘画上展现出的天赋后,内心深处开始有所触动。而他对妹妹迈·简的保护欲,也随着与莱斯莉的相处变得更加成熟。 五、 悲剧的降临 故事的后半部分,情节急转直下,达到了令人心碎的高潮。一个春日周末,杰西因为被带去华盛顿特区参观博物馆,错过了与莱斯莉一起去特拉比西亚的约定。莱斯莉独自一人,怀着对杰西的期盼,决定在雨后溪水暴涨时冒险过河。 在杰西离开后不久,莱斯莉在尝试使用那条简陋的绳索秋千时,绳索断裂,她不幸坠入冰冷湍急的溪水中,被淹逝了。 当杰西从城里回来,得知莱斯莉的死讯时,他的世界瞬间崩塌了。他无法接受这个事实,强烈的内疚、悲痛和愤怒将他吞噬。他认为是自己——没有和她一起去,是那条绳索——夺走了他最好的朋友。他愤怒地砸毁了特拉比西亚的入口,拒绝相信莱斯莉的离去。 六、 疗愈与传承 在经历了绝望和自我封闭之后,杰西的父母和他的美术老师帮助他开始正视悲痛。他的父亲,用一种笨拙而充满父爱的方式,引导杰西理解生命的无常,并告诉他,真正的友谊和爱是不会消逝的。 杰西最终明白了,莱斯莉没有真正离开。她活在他对特拉比西亚的记忆中,活在他对艺术的热情中,更活在他对世界更深层次的理解里。 为了纪念莱斯莉,杰西决定重建特拉比西亚。他不再使用摇摇欲坠的绳索,而是亲手制作了一座坚固的小木桥,跨越小溪。这座桥不仅是对莱斯莉的致敬,更是象征着杰西从一个孩子成长为一个有勇气面对生活的年轻人。他邀请妹妹迈·简成为特拉比西亚的新女王,将友谊的火炬传承下去。 故事的结尾,杰西带着对莱斯莉的思念,以及她赋予他的勇气和想象力,继续生活着,并用画笔记录下那片充满魔力,却又带着淡淡哀伤的土地。特拉比西亚的精神,在杰西的心中,永远地延续了下去。