Crossing the water: spiritual growth in Bridge to Terabithia and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
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...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
2011
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| In: |
International journal of children's spirituality
Year: 2011, Volume: 16, Issue: 3, Pages: 233-248 |
| Further subjects: | B
Spirituality
B Maturation B Imagination B Spiritual Growth B Juvenile literature |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | 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. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-8455 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of children's spirituality
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2011.613070 |