The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman - ADVISABLE

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman, 194 pages.  Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin), 2019.  $17.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Viji takes her little sister, Rukku, and runs away from home when their father hits Rukku.  Although Viji is only twelve-years-old she can tell that her mother isn’t going to protect them from their father, and thinks they have a better chance at happiness on the streets of India.  The sisters find charitable people as well as unkind people, but they luck out when they befriend two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul.  Together the four friends live under a bridge and share everything they earn, but when sickness finds the group of friends, they must find someone they can trust.  

I read this book in one day because I got pulled into the story so easily.  I loved the characters and the goodness and happiness they found in a sad situation.  It was also interesting to read about India’s culture and there is a glossary in the beginning that has explains certain terms used.  The mature content includes domestic abuse and intimidating adult characters.  Reviewer, 

C. Peterson.