This is really good. It's not fantasy in the way that Harry Potter is, nor like The Lord Of The Rings, nor even like Narnia. First of all, disregard the Disney labelling and forget that Walden Media are involved. And don't put too much stock in the trailer: oh, there's no footage in the trailer that isn't in the film, but the trailer is quite misleading.

In Bridge to Terebithia, the fantasy is much closer to reality. It's really about friendship, the power of shared imagination and being human, different and how to negotiate acceptance. Children who have trouble fitting in will probably identify with it. The smart ones will understand why.

It is about, Jess, an artistically gifted boy of 12 or 13. But he's a loner and has no friends at school and his parents struggle to make a living with him and his three sisters. Then one day a new girl starts in class, Leslie. She is outcast simply for moving in, but her attitude is generally more positive than Jess's. Jess only notices her when she reads out a creative piece of fiction in class - she shares the same sense of imagination. Moreover, Leslie and her parents have moved into a place next to Jess's.

As the story progresses, Jess and Leslie become good friends, rooted in the shared power of imagination. I won't tell you how the story plays out (they remain firmly children, I might add!), but there are some key events which greatly change - for the better - how Jess relates to his schoolmates and his own family.

I don't know how closely it follows the book it's based on. But it certainly stands alone. (And it would be very hard to make a sequel.)

Four and-a-half (out of five) stars.

Wade.