“‘I used to think this place was haunted,’ Jess had confessed to Leslie the first afternoon he had revved up his courage to bring her there.

‘Oh, but it is,’ she said.

‘But you don’t have to be scared.

It’s not haunted with evil things.’

It was the stillness that had always frightened him before, but this time it was like the moment after Miss Edmunds finished a song, just after the chords hummed down to silence.”

Nature can have a powerful effect on people.

Children need friends who can keep secrets.

People can find interesting things in forests.

Children often benefit from being quiet.

They promise not to tell anyone about Terabithia.

They are excited about seeing the forest every day.

They decide not to talk when in the forest.

They are determined to keep Terabithia sacred.

The rosebushes have thick trunks.

The rosebushes are tall enough to climb.

The rosebushes have large, long branches.

The rosebushes are more leaves than flowers.

It shows that the garden lacks color.

It shows that the rosebushes may be hard to cut down.

It shows that the garden may be dangerous to play in.

It shows that the rosebushes have been ignored for a long time.

It shows how difficult it is to keep gardens healthy.

It helps explain the reasons why Mary is fond of flowers.

It provides a setting where Mary can meet new characters.

D It helps create the idea that the garden has been abandoned.

to show how interested Mary is about the garden.

to show how nervous Mary feels inside the garden

to show how little Mary understands about the garden

to show how much the garden reminds Mary of other places