A Bridge I May Not Be Able to Negotiate

So, a friend of mine sent a link to the trailer for Bridge to Terabithia, the movie slated for release next year.

Now here's what you need to know, should you not know it already.

Bridge to Terabithia tops my list of all-time favourite books. Yes, it's a wonderful book. Yes, it deservedly won the Newbery Medal in 1978. More importantly, though, it was the book that changed the way I looked at books forever when I first read it as a kid. It was the book that made me realize the power of books. It was the first to make me think, "Oh my. A book can actually affect me. It can be more than a pleasant diversion." I've read it a multitude of times since then and I still love it with each reading. Katherine Paterson is a queen among authors, who refuses to talk down to her audience simply because they're young. (For more on Katherine Paterson, with whom I would love to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, visit her site here.)

So I clicked on the link and watched the preview.

Oh dear. The preview makes it look like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe or Lord of the Rings or something. It focuses entirely on the fantasy of Terabithia that Jesse and Leslie create in their imaginations (bringing it, quite possibly, much too literally to life rather than allowing for the simplicity of the fantasy the characters share in the book) and completely sweeps under the rug the fact that it's not a fantasy adventure story at all. It's realistic fiction for kids.

Now I'm not trying to dismiss the movie out-of-hand. I'm hoping it's a (horrible) marketing ploy (though I suspect it would just lead to people being unfairly disappointed if they go in expecting the fantasy adventure fare) and that the movie is a wonderously faithful adaptation of a modern classic. I'd love to hear Katherine Paterson's thoughts on it.

After all, I'm still a bit reeling from the issues I had with Tuck Everlasting a few years back.