Crossing the Water: Spiritual Growth in 'Bridge to Terabithia' and 'Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy'

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

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16

Novels; Adolescent Literature; Awards; Friendship; Males; Females; Puberty; Cultural Context; Racial Attitudes; Stereotypes; Spiritual Development; Adolescent Development; Earth Science; Water; Barriers; Fantasy; Perspective Taking; Imagination; Religious Factors; Resilience (Psychology)

10.1080/1364436X.2011.613070

1364-436X

The author analyses two award-winning juvenile novels, "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson and "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary Schmidt. Each novel portrays a deep friendship between a boy and girl who cross a stream (or river) into a world that includes fantasy, play, closeness to nature and animals, and a sense of the sacred. Within a year, the girl dies, leaving the boy changed forever. The friendship, the journey, and the loss all contribute to the boy's maturation. While both novels offer a compelling portrait of spiritual growth in children approaching puberty, Schmidt's adds complexity by placing the friendship within a larger cultural context; he explores the interplay of religious tradition, racism, and economics. Spiritual maturation is portrayed as a gradual process that is rooted in personal experience, allowing room for doubts and questions. These novels can help readers to think more deeply about the following five themes: (1) the value of "soul friendship" (what the Irish call "anam cara", friend of the heart); (2) talking back to authority figures; (3) freedom and personal conscience; (4) growing from disappointment or loss; and (5) flexibility in relating to the Holy. (Contains 15 notes.)

As Provided

10

2011

EJ947106