The bridge home

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

by Padma Venkatraman

Penguin, 2020

For ages 10+ years.

Sisters Viji and Rukku escape an unsafe home to make their own way in the streets of Chennai, India. 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. 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.

From our book club:

a short but moving story that brought us to tears. Life of street kids in India is a world away from our lives. It made us question if we would make the same decisions if we were in their place.

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