Bridge to Terebithia and Castle of Llyr

[mariness]

Two more Tor.com posts to round off the week:

1. First, as part of Tor Banned Books week, the incredibly depressing Bridge to Terebithia. For once every comment is in complete agreement: SNIFFLE.

2. On a more cheerful note, Lloyd Alexander's The Castle of Llyr. NOT my favorite of the Chronicles -- the next one in the series is a much better book

Comments

[figgyscott]

Bridge to Terebithia was one of my favorite booke in my young/middle teenage years. I can't even remember how many times I re-read that book.

[mariness]

I just never got over that initial betrayal. This is the first time I've reread it since I was a kid.

[seawasp]

Why, I ask, must assigned award-winning reading be depressing?

[mariness]

That inspired me to look at the Newbery Award list. It's not ALL depressing. I see Hero and the Crown, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H., From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, A Wrinkle in Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins (I guess arguable), The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Strawberry Girl, Rabbit Hill, Johnny Tremain, Roller Skates - oh, wait, a kid dies in that one. Never mind!

So it's not ALL depressing. Just mostly depressing. I have no idea if any of these are assigned in school though -- Island of the Blue Dolphins was, I remember, but I'm not sure on the others.

[ravena_kade]

One year I was assigned to read The Hobbit. It wasn't a problem for me as I had already read it twice.

I read Johnny Tremain on my own in 5th Grade... and yeah... kinda depressing.

[mariness]

Cross Johnny Tremain off the not-depressing list, then!

Mixed Up Files is funny, though, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Rabbit Hill have happy endings and no one dies.

[bayushi]

Johnny Tremain scarred me. But The High King wasn't depressing, either. And I lost count of how many times I read It's Like This, Cat. Still love that book.

[mariness]

Clearly I am misremembering Johnny Tremain. I thought at the end of the book things looked good for him since they were going to fix his hand? Am I remembering a different book? (Since both of you are saying it's depressing.)

I haven't read It's Like This, Cat. The High King should be coming up in the Tor.com reread in a couple of weeks. I do find that mildly depressing since Taran and Eilonwy don't get to go to Avalon er whatever the equivalent is in that book.

[bayushi]

Just the scarring of the hand messed me up horribly. I don't remember the end, I read it once and was so offended that I haven't touched it since, and that was a good 25+ years ago, easily.

The parting at the end of The High King was sad, as was the loss of magic, but mostly, what I remember was Taran finally figuring his shit out, and Eilonwy's reaction of "It's about time!"