The Bridge Home

The Bridge Home

Publisher

Nancy Paulsen Books

Publication Year

2019

ISBN

9781524738112

Pages

194 pages

Genre

realism

Format

novel

Item Type

Fiction

Annotation

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.

Grade Level

6-8

Lexile Measure

680L

Diversity Topics

Family Relationships; Disability and Health; Family Member Death; Family Violence; Homelessness; Poverty; Developmental Disability; Illness; death of a sister; violence; abusive father; homeless child; financial hardship; poor; child with a developmental disability; sickness; child with an illness

Main Character

female child

Race/Ethnicities

Asian (Indian)

Family Formation

mother and father

Keywords

runaways; street children; India; Chennai

Diversity Impact

direct

The Bridge Home

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