In my opinion, Bridge to Terabithia is a heartfelt, childhood story that would be extremely beneficial for students to read who are in the fourth grade.  I think it contains relevant information and situations that pertain to the lives of these students.  There is bullying, sibling rivalry, family financial issues, the initiation of lifelong friendships, and also the use of ones imagination.  When reading about things that can actually happen in students lives, the students will most likely have an easier time connecting with the story.  They will also hopefully want to read the story, and engage in the corresponding activities presented whether discussions, projects, papers, artwork, or presentations.  It will make reading fun and entertaining for students, and possibly motivate them to choose other chapter books to read in their own free time.  The idea of using ones imagination is extremely important in that students at this age are constantly being creative in their endeavors while playing pretend school, house, store, restaurant, etc.  They go into their own world and forget about everything around them.  This relates to the story because Jesse and Leslie create a magical place just for the two of them to go to get away from the troubles within their lives.  They can stop thinking about their family problems, bullies in school like Janice Avery, or personal problems like Jesse’s secret love of drawing that he keeps hidden from his family (especially his father).