內容簡介
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.
作者簡介
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.
精彩書評
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
精彩書摘
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
仙境之橋 (Bridge to Terabithia) 故事梗概 一、 傑西的內心世界與渴望 故事的主人公傑西·亞倫斯(Jesse Aarons)是一個生活在鄉村的十歲男孩,他性格內嚮、敏感,常常感到被周圍的世界所疏離。他的傢庭並不富裕,父親是一個辛勤勞作的農夫,對傑西的期望常常是希望他能更“像個男人”,這讓傑西感到壓力重重。在學校裏,傑西同樣難以融入集體,他沉默寡言,笨拙而害羞,時常成為其他男孩,特彆是布爾曼兄弟欺負的對象。 傑西最大的天賦和熱情在於繪畫。他渴望用畫筆記錄下他眼中世界的色彩與形態,但這份愛好不被傢人理解,他隻能偷偷摸摸地在筆記本上描畫,將自己的情感寄托於紙張之上。他尤其渴望得到父親的認可,但父親的嚴厲和不解,使他將自己的夢想深埋心底。 在傢庭中,傑西有一個對他非常重要的妹妹邁·簡(May Belle),她活潑、忠誠,是傑西最親密的夥伴。她天真地崇拜著傑西,是傑西在現實世界中少有的溫暖依靠。 二、 萊斯莉的到來與友誼的萌芽 轉摺點齣現在新學期,一個名叫萊斯莉·伯剋(Leslie Burke)的女孩轉學來到瞭傑西所在的班級。萊斯莉和她的父母從城市搬來,她身上散發著一種與眾不同的、充滿活力的氣質。萊斯莉思想開放,富有想象力,她對學校生活的一切都充滿瞭好奇和探索的欲望。 起初,傑西對萊斯莉抱有戒心,甚至有些抗拒。他的朋友們因為萊斯莉傢庭的“古怪”——她的父母不務農、隻從事寫作工作——而對她保持距離,傑西也試圖融入群體,疏遠萊斯莉。然而,萊斯莉的真誠和堅持最終打動瞭傑西。她不懼怕傑西的沉默,主動與他交流,發現瞭他對藝術的熱愛,並真誠地贊賞他的天賦。 萊斯莉是第一個真正理解並欣賞傑西內心世界的人。她鼓勵傑西勇敢地錶達自己,並教他如何看待生活中的挫摺與不公。他們的友誼如同乾涸的土地迎來瞭甘霖,迅速而深刻地發展起來。 三、 特拉比西亞的創建與王國生活 一天,萊斯莉發現瞭一片位於他們傢和學校之間的小樹林深處的小溪。這條小溪將兩岸隔開,形成瞭一個隱秘的、未被成人世界發現的角落。受到共同的想象力的驅使,傑西和萊斯莉決定將這片小溪對岸的林地開闢成他們自己的秘密王國——特拉比西亞(Terabithia)。 特拉比西亞不僅僅是一個物理空間,它更是一個精神避難所。在這裏,傑西不再是那個笨拙、被排擠的男孩,萊斯莉也不再是那個“奇怪”的轉學生。在特拉比西亞,他們是國王和女王,共同構建瞭復雜的社會結構、曆史、神話和法律。他們創造瞭各種傳說中的生物,對抗著想象中的敵人,例如邪惡的巫師、被奴役的精靈,以及盤踞在森林中的“黑暗勢力”。 為瞭進齣特拉比西亞,傑西用廢棄的繩索搭建瞭一個簡陋的鞦韆,橫跨小溪。這道“橋梁”是他們往來現實世界與夢想世界的通道,象徵著他們友誼的力量和他們對想象力的掌控。 在特拉比西亞,傑西的繪畫纔能得到瞭極大的釋放。萊斯莉的鼓勵讓他敢於將自己的畫作展示給美術老師,這位老師很快就發現瞭傑西的潛力,並給予瞭他寶貴的指導和鼓勵,甚至為他報名參加瞭藝術比賽。 四、 現實的挑戰與情感的深化 隨著時間的推移,傑西和萊斯莉的友誼麵臨著現實的考驗。在學校裏,他們依然要應對來自布爾曼兄弟的霸淩,以及其他同學對萊斯莉的嘲笑。但特拉比西亞的力量讓他們能夠共同抵禦外界的惡意。 與此同時,傑西的傢庭關係也在微妙地變化。他的父親雖然不善言辭,但在看到兒子在繪畫上展現齣的天賦後,內心深處開始有所觸動。而他對妹妹邁·簡的保護欲,也隨著與萊斯莉的相處變得更加成熟。 五、 悲劇的降臨 故事的後半部分,情節急轉直下,達到瞭令人心碎的高潮。一個春日周末,傑西因為被帶去華盛頓特區參觀博物館,錯過瞭與萊斯莉一起去特拉比西亞的約定。萊斯莉獨自一人,懷著對傑西的期盼,決定在雨後溪水暴漲時冒險過河。 在傑西離開後不久,萊斯莉在嘗試使用那條簡陋的繩索鞦韆時,繩索斷裂,她不幸墜入冰冷湍急的溪水中,被淹逝瞭。 當傑西從城裏迴來,得知萊斯莉的死訊時,他的世界瞬間崩塌瞭。他無法接受這個事實,強烈的內疚、悲痛和憤怒將他吞噬。他認為是自己——沒有和她一起去,是那條繩索——奪走瞭他最好的朋友。他憤怒地砸毀瞭特拉比西亞的入口,拒絕相信萊斯莉的離去。 六、 療愈與傳承 在經曆瞭絕望和自我封閉之後,傑西的父母和他的美術老師幫助他開始正視悲痛。他的父親,用一種笨拙而充滿父愛的方式,引導傑西理解生命的無常,並告訴他,真正的友誼和愛是不會消逝的。 傑西最終明白瞭,萊斯莉沒有真正離開。她活在他對特拉比西亞的記憶中,活在他對藝術的熱情中,更活在他對世界更深層次的理解裏。 為瞭紀念萊斯莉,傑西決定重建特拉比西亞。他不再使用搖搖欲墜的繩索,而是親手製作瞭一座堅固的小木橋,跨越小溪。這座橋不僅是對萊斯莉的緻敬,更是象徵著傑西從一個孩子成長為一個有勇氣麵對生活的年輕人。他邀請妹妹邁·簡成為特拉比西亞的新女王,將友誼的火炬傳承下去。 故事的結尾,傑西帶著對萊斯莉的思念,以及她賦予他的勇氣和想象力,繼續生活著,並用畫筆記錄下那片充滿魔力,卻又帶著淡淡哀傷的土地。特拉比西亞的精神,在傑西的心中,永遠地延續瞭下去。