Bridge to Terabitha by Katherine Paterson has been one of my favorite YA/children’s books since it first appeared. It’s one of the books that I periodically re-read and it moves me every time.

So I was VERY nervous and wary of any movie, particularly with Disney involvement. However, the screenplay is written by Katherine Paterson’s son and the film is a loving recreation of the book.

If you’ve read the book, SEE the movie.

If you haven’t read the book, what are you waiting for? Read it first, THEN see the movie.

I was totally blown away by AnnaSophia Robb’s portrayal of Leslie Burke and then more so when I discovered, perusing imdb.com, that she’d also played Violet Beauregarde in the Burton “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” — I didn’t recognize her, she acted so well.

I just completed senioring for LP17. LP17 consists of eleven amazing people (and three seniors) for whom I passed up my appearance at Orycon this year. Since they started their journey, they have changed the lives of 67 people, raised over $13,000 for the fight against Huntington’s Disease, donated 190 teddy bears to hospitals right before Christmas, gave a single mother of six a complete Christmas right down to the tree, and – also – completely changed their world.

The world is changing. That can’t be stopped.

The choice is whether it changes for the worse or for the better.

And that choice is the choice that I, and you, and everyone gets to make every day.

Sadly, a lot of people believe – and some are even convinced – that the choice is out of their hands.

I say that’s not so. I say that people can choose to transform themselves and the world around them. In fact, I think every book contains a story of exactly that sort of transformation, which is what attracts us to books in the first place. We can change the world. I change the world with every book I write, even if only in a small way.

And, in a much bigger way, my eleven amazing LP17 graduates stand as evidence not only that it is possible to change the world but it also possible to show others that they too can change the world… right now.

I found this on the www.everybody.goes website. It is an incredible sample of our current state and future world. It is also interesting that it touches on something that will be integral to my first non-Pern book. Take a look, and see if you can guess what I’ll be writing about next!