The Bridge Home

The Bridge Home

By Padma Venkatraman
Unabridged
$9.75 $15.00
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“Author Padma Venkatraman narrates her own work, displaying the depth of feeling and caring between eleven-year-old Viji and her twelve-year-old intellectually disabled sister, Rukku…Venkatraman’s Indian accent adds to the tone and setting, but it’s the range and believability of emotions that will draw listeners into Viji’s journey from despair to hope. A great family listen to launch important conversations. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”

AudioFile

Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award

Winner of ALA Notable Children's Book

Winner of ALSC Notable Children's Recordings

Winner of Golden Kite Award for Fiction

Winner of Notable Books for a Global Society Award

"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.