Name: The Bridge Home
ISBN: 9781524738112

Padma Venkatraman

Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India.

The Bridge Home

eliz

hope, found family, despair, hardwork, sadness, loss, recovery — all packed in 200 pages. really moving and heartbreaking at the same time.

"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma shares with us an unflinching peek into the reality millions of homeless children live every day but also infuses her story with hope and bravery that will inspire readers and stay with them long after turning the final page."--Aisha Saeed, author of the New York Times Bestselling Amal Unbound Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut. Life is harsh in Chennai's teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge. With two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, the group forms a family of sorts. And while making a living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to laugh about and take pride in too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

Ashley Wendt

4.5 Beautiful story, so heartwarming & heartbreaking at the same time. Wow. I’m so full some big emotions right now. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author and it was just so perfect done!

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Heartbreaking. Hopeful. Healing. Looking forward to the Global Read Aloud this year.

Nadine 

Sad but beautiful book on the struggles of a group of homeless children escaping domestic violence.

Lily D

This book destroyed me. I had to read it for school and I actually loved it. My teacher had asked me if I could read the whole book this weekend and I said yes. So on Monday, I get to read a different book by this author and I'm so excited. I loved every single character. This book tore me into 11 million pieces. I definitely recommend this book and just be prepared to cry. This is the saddest book I've ever read and I've read a lot of books. I loved this book so much💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Jeni Enjaian

I absolutely loved this book. I loved Venkatraman's incredibly raw and realistic portrayal of the realities of so many deep issues, domestic abuse, stigma against intellectually disabled, rampant poverty, and so much more.
Unlike the book I read right before this, Venkatraman utterly captivates the reader and leaves them in a position where they cannot help but empathize with and grow to love all of the children.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

The Bridge Home

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