For as long as she can remember, Vijii has always been protective of her sister Rukku. Also for as long as she can remember, Vijii has always hated her abusive father. After one particularly bad day, when he hits Rukku, Vijii makes a plan to run away with her sister to the city. But when she puts her plan into action, she realizes how hard living on their own can be. One night when she and Rukku sleep on an abandoned old bridge, she finds two bys, Arul and Muthu, who are also on the bridge. Vijii quickly befriends the two boys. But how will they ever survive? I liked this book because it was sad at the end.
Bridge Home, The
By Padma Venkatraman
"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma infuses her story with hope and bravery that will inspire readers."--Aisha Saeed, author of the
New York Times
Bestseller
Amal Unbound
Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut.
Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, 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 that's also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to 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.
Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut.
Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, 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 that's also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to 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.
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN-13: 9781524738136
ISBN-10: 1524738131
Published on 4/14/2020
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 208
Book Reviews (5)
This book is amazing.
This book is amazing. I love the story plot even thought it is a little sad. The first time you read the book, the beginning will probably be confusing . You have to read it twice in order to fully understand what is happening. The author, Padma Venkatraman has four or more other books that I suggest. I think that Time to Dance is her best book. Equally amazing.
This book is really magnificent. It is really hard to grasp when reading it, that this was some children's lives. I am the kind of reader that after I finish a book, it sticks in my head for a couple of days. I always imagine what I would do in the position of the main character. This book was one of the firsts where I couldn't do that. It is written so well that it is hard to imagine different endings, or different ways that different parts could have gone. This was also probably the very first book that I cried during (granted I was reading this at 10:00 at night and that is not my bedtime so that could had something to do with it) and it is amazing. It is told as a very very long letter that the main character Viji, wrote to her sister (who isn't with her but I'm not telling you why) Rukku, who has a developmental disability. She writes, the story of them living under a bridge with 2 boys. She writes about how they would scrounge through garbage piles looking for things to trade in for money. They were living under the bridge because they were forced to runaway when there father, who mainly abused there mother, started abusing them. It is a story of trust and surviving. I loved this book and think everyone should read it. It is again really hard to grasp that all of this could've happened to some children. That there is a majority of homeless, orphan children living on the streets. It is a great book as I've mentioned and think that everyone (as I've mentioned) should read it.
I read this book in school for a global read aloud and this book is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life and i hope you like this book as much as I do, well if you want to read it!