From BookJive
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| Name: | Leslie Burke | |||
| Description: | Leslie Burke is intelligent, talented, imaginative, outgoing girl. Her talents include gymnastics, creativity, swimming, scuba diving and running. She can run faster than any of the boys in her class. | |||
Leslie Burke is a fictional character in the book and movies titled Bridge to Terabithia.
She recently moved to Lark Creek as of this book and movie. Leslie is a smart, talented, and outgoing girl, her talents include creativity and running. She can run faster than any of the boys in her class. She was not socially accepted by the other students in the new school she was attending. She and Jesse Aarons are outcasts at their school. Jesse Aarons thought highly of her, and was best friends with her. For Christmas, Jesse gave Leslie a dog whom she called Prince Terrien or P.T. She used to call her parents by their first names but in the 2007 film she refers to them as "mom" and "dad".
Jesse has a crush on his young music teacher, Miss Edmunds, and would do anything to be with her. The central crisis occurs when Jesse accompanies Miss Edmunds to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and Leslie goes to Terabithia alone.
Near the end of the book, while Jesse is away at a museum, Leslie tries to swing across on the rope to Terabithia. As she is swinging, the rope gives way (as Jesse warned her it would) and she plummets into the creek, hitting her head on one of the rocks, and she went into unconsciousness and drowned. This deeply shocks Jesse, who considered her death his fault, as he had considered inviting her to go with him to Washington D.C. and had decided against it so he could be alone with his music teacher. It was then that Leslie tried to cross to Terabithia alone, ultimately the cause of her death. Jesse can overcome his grief only with the strength and courage that his friendship with Leslie has given him. Jesse must trust in what Leslie has taught him to help over come the horrors that reality can bring and with their friendship it helps Jesse to cope with the tragedy. Their friendship makes him realize what Leslie has also taught him, to open his mind to every possibility and leave reality behind.
And Jesse attempts to deal with his grief by going back to Terabithia, and making a memorial for Leslie. He worries that Leslie will not enter Heaven, because she does not believe in Jesus. When his father follows him into the forest, Jesse begins to cry and his father hugs him. Jesse expresses his worry about Leslie through his sobs, with Jesse's father comforting him. He hears a cry for help and finds his younger sister, May Belle, calling for help. She was trying to get to Terabithia too by climbing on a tree bridge over the river but got stuck in the middle. He helps her out.
Leslie's grief-stricken parents decide to move away.
Before they go away her father tells Jesse that Leslie loved him and thanks him for being such a good friend to her.
