 "Bridge to Terabithia" tells the story of bullied kids Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke, 12-year-old neighbors who create a fantasy world called Terabithia and spend their free time together in an abandoned tree house.The original novel was based on events from the childhood of the author's son, screenwriter David Paterson.When he asked his mother if he could write a screenplay of the novel, she agreed in part because of his ability as a playwright.