Bridge to Terabithia — Chapter 7

About This Passage

This exchange contains the chapter's theological argument and its devastating closing question. Jess's quiet admission — 'the only book we got around here' — reveals both poverty (the Bible is the family's only book) and honest engagement with the text (he has actually read it). Leslie's response — 'I don't think God goes around damning people to hell' — is warm and intellectually honest. Then Maybelle's question crashes through the theological discussion with a child's blunt directness: 'what if you die?' The question is aimed at Leslie. The passage models how a single conversation can contain humor, tenderness, class awareness, theological dispute, and prophetic terror.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

1. Leslie is fascinated by the Easter story — she finds it beautiful and powerful — even though she does not believe in the Bible the way Jess's family does. In chapter 3, Leslie created a sacred space in the pine grove using her imagination, not religion. What is similar about how Leslie responds to the Easter story and how she responds to the forest? Does Leslie's kind of reverence require belief, or is it something else?
2. Jess says the Bible is 'the only book we got around here.' This reveals two things at once: Jess's family is too poor to own books, AND Jess has genuinely read most of the Bible. Compare this to Leslie's home, which is full of books. Does Jess's poverty make his Bible reading more or less meaningful than Leslie's wide reading? What does each character bring to their understanding of stories?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide