128 pages
First of all, my kids are probably too young for this book, but I read it to them anyway because IT IS AMAZING. Man, I forgot how good it was. One of the most well written children's books of all time.
It's about the forming (and then loss) of a friendship between 10-year-old Jesse and his new neighbor Leslie. If you don't know what happens in it, I'm not going to ruin it for you. But I kind of wish that I had waited longer for the kids to read it, for them to discover it on their own at an age when they were more ready for it. But they did like it and it did hold their interest throughout.
This really is such a great book.
Ocean, age 7 - "I don't know what to think of it. I liked it. I loved it."
(Note: Ocean was in a weird mood when I asked her to comment on this.)
Ezra, age 5 - "I was kind of scared when Leslie died, but the rest of it was okay. I really enjoyed it. And I hope you read it."
(Note: There goes Ezra again, spilling the secrets.)
5 comments:
Oh! I LOVE this book! It was the first book I ever cried over. Sobbed actually. Uncontrollably. But worth every tear.
Oh, Allison, this book is such a treasure. I've been keeping it from my kiddos though... still a bit young. We've started on the Narnia series out loud & my 6yo is reading the Ramona Quimby books to herself. But my 3yo is still young for Bridge.
That book stayed with me through the years - I read & re-read it. I have scenes built in my mind & I know they made a movie out of it (recently?) but I don't want to see it because it would mess with what I've created in my mind.
Honestly, Allison, when we moved up to Maine in my 20s, Adam & I bought a house in the woods with a creek running through the front yard, and I remember thinking of this book & how amazing it would be to raise our children there so they could have the same kinds of adventures - you know, minus the flood and death. But I would cross the stream via a bridge Adam & I built, and I swear the book would come to mind nearly every time. I'm a sucker for a good story.
I can't wait until we can read it.
Oh, and Watership Down - that was another favorite of mine.
Jules - I was sobbing through the last part of the book. My kids kept telling me to stop crying so that they could understand what I was reading.
Kelly - How did you end up in Jersey after that ideal location in Maine?
Short story: We both grew up here & our parents were still here in NJ once we had our first child. Our business was growing too big for our basement & we needed to make some kind of move. We decided to make the move "back home" for family & biz.
Long story: I am grateful to be near to my mother in law who is an enormous help with the children, and it's not as cold here, for as long, and Philadelphia is right around the corner which I love, and our business has grown tremendously and our employees live here, not in Maine, obviously. Moving back isn't exactly practical right now. Not sure it ever will be. I'm not sure that's a bad thing... I mean, we DID it, experienced it already, made wonderful memories. And life moves on, and we make our own paradise. But some days I miss it - like deep in my soul. some days more than others... but always at least a little. I feel sad that our children won't know that house we had, with clean water & fresh air & privacy & the freedom of living in the woods & a stone's throw from the mountains for hiking. People were slower and more natural and kind and farrrr less materialistic. Moose would walk through our yard. And we had lilac bushes! But it is cold winter six months out of the year. (That's the only negative I can think of right now while wearing my my grass is always greener glasses.)
Here in NJ living so near to extended family is stressful and we're in a tiny condo without a real yard to call our own and there's a boatload of traffic here. All. The. Time.
Every day is a new day, though, you know?
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