Leslie Burke

Leslie Burke is the female protagonist of Bridge to Terabithia. She is portrayed by AnnaSophia Robb.

Biography
Leslie recently moved to Lark Creek with her parents. She is a smart, talented, and outgoing girl, her talents include creativity and running. She can run faster than any of the boys in her class. She was not socially accepted by the other students in the new school she was attending. She and Jesse Aarons are outcasts at their school. Jesse thought highly of her, and was best friends with her (and, possibly, first love). Jesse gave Leslie a dog whom she called Prince Terrien or P.T.

Jesse has a crush on his young music teacher, Miss Edmunds, and would do anything to be with her. The central crisis occurs when Jesse accompanies Miss Edmunds to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and Leslie goes to Terabithia alone.

Near the end of the book, while Jesse is away at a museum, Leslie tries to swing across on the rope to Terabithia. As she is swinging, the rope snaps (as Jesse warned her it would) and she plummets into the creek, hitting her head on one of the rocks, and she went into unconsciousness and drowned. This deeply shocks Jesse, who considered her death his fault, as he had considered inviting her to go with him to Washington D.C. and had decided against it so he could be alone with his music teacher. It was then that Leslie tried to cross to Terabithia alone, ultimately the cause of her death. Jesse can overcome his grief only with the strength and courage that his friendship with Leslie has given him. Jesse must trust in what Leslie has taught him to help over come the horrors that reality can bring and with their friendship it helps Jesse to cope with the tragedy. Their friendship makes him realize what Leslie has also taught him, to open his mind to every possibility and leave reality behind.

And Jesse attempts to deal with his grief by going back to Terabithia, and making a memorial for Leslie. He worries that Leslie will not enter Heaven because she does not believe in Jesus. When his father follows him into the forest, Jesse begins to cry and his father hugs him. Jesse expresses his worry about Leslie through his sobs, with Jesse's father comforting him.

He hears a cry for help and finds his younger sister, May Belle, calling for help. She was trying to get to Terabithia too by climbing on a tree bridge over the river but got stuck in the middle. He helps her out.

Leslie's grief-stricken parents decide to move away. Before they go away her father tells Jesse that Leslie loved him and thanks him for being such a good friend to her.

Personality
Leslie Burke is mainly Jess Aaron's polar opposite. She is talkative,openly social more open minded about the world around her. At the begining of the movie and book she's the new girl who dresses differently talks different and doesn't play by the same social rules as the other kids do. Leslie beat Jess in a racing event he trained for all summer, but she still tried to compliment him, but was brushed off. After telling the class she had no television, she tried to sit in the back and Jess grabbed her not a second sooner and started their inital friendship. Running into the woods, they swung on a rope and started a world of their own. Jess seems to have some trouble excepting Leslie has different beliefs than him such as his Christianity and her agnostic views. After Jess left her behind at home she attempted to go to Terabithia, but in the swing the rope broke and Leslie fell, hitting her head and drowning. She left Jess angry and feeling it was his fault Leslie had died, thinking if he had invited her she would not have died. Источник — «http://bridgetoterabithia.wikia.com/wiki/Leslie_Burke»