The award-winning fiction of Katherine Paterson has, for decades, warmed the hearts of children and adults alike. From Bridge to Terabithia and Come Sing, Jimmy Jo to Jacob Have I Loved and The Great Gilly Hopkins, her stories are taught in classrooms and read by librarians eager to share her moral-driven fiction to inspire young minds.

Bridges for the Young is a book of essays written by reputable critics of children's literature, including many established Paterson scholars, who examine the various themes of hope, peace, and story, as well as other important issues that grow out of her work. In addition to the assortment of perspectives on her writing, Paterson herself offers a detailed essay written specifically for this collection that discusses the allegorical bridges that she builds for her readers.