In Bridge to Terabithia, the protagonist is 11-year old Jess Aarons, who wants to be an artist and run faster than any of the other boys in the fifth grade. Lonely and friendless, he strikes up an unlikely bond with tomboy Leslie Burke whose parents don't even own a television. Together, Jess and Leslie imagine a mystical kingdom called Terabithia that can only be entered by swinging across a creek on a rope. They reign as King and Queen of Terabithia, a land of wonder and creation where it does not matter that they have no one else. Then, one rainy day, Leslie goes to Terabithia alone while Jess goes on a trip to the Smithsonian. When he returns, he learns the dreadful news: the rope swing broke, sending Leslie into the creek below, where she hit her head and drowned. Objectively, it's hard to say why Bridge to Terabithia earned the top spot on this list. After all, Dobby just wanted to be free and died for the one who freed him. Dally committed suicide in a grief-filled frenzy in front of all of his friends. Rachel bravely faced her death with dignity before being viciously murdered in front of all of her friends. This list is full of epicallydevastating deaths; Leslie Burke drowned off-page in a meaningless accident in a 128-page book. It was plenty sad, but there should really be no room for comparison, right? Wrong. Unlike other deaths on this list, the trauma that accompanies that of this young girl is addressed in its ugly entirety. Author Katherine Paterson used Jess's reaction to Leslie's death to follow the stages of grief through the eyes of a lonesome child, and if you're not already crying at the "denial" stage, you officially have neither a heart nor a soul. I'd recommend that everybody go out and find a copy of Bridge to Terabithia, but unless you want to spend an hour choking on deep shuddering sobs, maybe just take my word for it.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
