The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

The Bridge Home Reviews

• 
  Zoë

  [Book #9 for my grad school Children's Lit class]
• 
  Reading_ Tamishly

  Read this a few months ago. Not that memorable. Somehow too whimsical for a middle grade contemporary read. Did not work for me. Yes, there are good and sad moments but it's a little unrealistic.
• 
  Janice Boychuk

  What a thoughtful and engaging book; it was sad yet uplifting at the same time. I didn't notice that it was slotted as a middle grade/children's book until I was finished it, but honestly, this is a wonderful book for any age.
  
  The story revolves around four pre-teen children trying to survive in the city of Chennai in India. They are victims of abuse, neglect and tragedy. Although their stories and how they came to this point are very different, there is a connection, forming a familial bond. They are forced to make many mature decisions about food, money and sickness.
  
  The fact is, there really are poor and homeless children who scour trash piles and garbage bins to find anything worth salvaging in exchange for money, simply in order to survive. Viji, Rukku, Muthi and Arul are actually "complimented" in a rather twisted but something-to-think-about way, that they are helping the environment by sorting through the trash to find recyclable items - glass, plastic, leather, fabric, etc. And, in that sense, helping to cut down on trash and keep the city (somewhat) cleaner then it would be without their help. Naturally, the logical solution would be to engage better garbage disposal programs, but this is the big-city reality that exists in India - and other locations around the world - right now.
  
  You can read more about these children here:
  
  
  Meet the kids scavenging on rubbish dumps to survive
  
  This is a rare case of the author narrating her own book, and it worked! Her narration was authentic and passionate, and her writing was superb.
• 
  Corinne

  This book is a hymne to life propelled by four strong caracters. It is a pleasure to see uplifting books like this. Thank you, Padma. I had a real good time reading this book. Rukku will remain in my heart for a long time.
  
• 
  Colby Sharp

  Amazing book. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
  
  Adding it to my list of awesome 2019 books.
  
  
  https://www.mrcolbysharp.com/2019/
• 
  Arghiiw

  وقتی کتاب رو شروع کردم، فکر کردم می‌خواد درباره خشونت خانگی حرف بزنه! فکر کردم می‌خواد نشون بده وفادار بودن زنان به شوهرهای نالایقشون فقط بخاطر اینکه توی دین و اعتقاداتشون گفته شده «زن نباید شوهرش رو ترک بکنه» چقدر احمقانه و سخته!
  F*ck you and your stupid belief by the way.
  
  من حقیقتا با خوندن چندتا چپتر اول گریه‌م گرفت. دیدن کتک خوردن مادرشون و خوندن اون اتفاق از زبون بچه‌ها خیلی برام سخت بود...
  اما هرچی رفت جلوتر من نفهمیدم چی داره می‌شه دیگه، تا اینکه رسیدم به وسطاش و فهمیدم بله. کتاب درباره کودکان زباله‌‌گرد و شغل زباله جمع‌کردن توی هند هست..
  
  حقیقتا این هم موضوع خوب و مهمیه، این هم چیزی هست که نیاز به پرداخت بیشتر داره.
  اما نویسنده اصلأ کارش رو خوب انجام نداده.
  
  من نمی‌فهمم چرا کل شخصیت‌ها باید شیفته یکی از خواهر‌ها باشن، فقط چون معلولیت ذهنی داره؟ می‌تونم درک کنم چرا این کتاب درباره «روکو» و از زبان «ویجی» داره شرح می‌شه، درک رابطه خواهرانه‌شون سخت نیست. درک این سخته که چرا بقیه آدم‌ها و شخصیت‌ها هم شیفته روکو بودن، ما داستان موتو و آرول رو فقط در حد چند خط شنیدیم، در صورتی که اونا هم داشتن همون زندگی سخت و بدبختی رو می‌کشیدن!
  
  با این حال هنوز هم تونسته دست و پا شکسته زندگی این بچه‌های مظلوم و محروم رو به تصویر بکشه. اینکه چقدر باید گرسنگی بکشن، چقدر زندگیشون در خطره و رفتاری که بقیه آدما باهاشون دارن🥺
  
  اینکه گفتم دست و پا شکسته بخاطر اینه که دارم با کتاب «یک پیاده‌روی طولانی» مقایسه‌ش می‌کنم:)))
  اون کتاب با اینکه کمتره، اما پرداخت خیلیییی بهتری به زندگی مردم و بچه‌های سودان داره🚶🏻‍♀
• 
  Sheila

  THIS is my ultimate and number one book to give to my children. And also I have troubles writing THIS book, because it's heartbreakingly entrancing.
  
  It has everything I want my children to read : bravery, hardness of life, family and found-family, faith (and questions about it), forgiveness, grief and handling it, disability and diversity awareness, hope, anger, and even a puppy!
  
  Brought as letters to her sister Rukku, the main protagonist named Viji narrated this beautiful but heartbreaking story of the time when they ran away from home.
  
  I cried so hard, both happy and sad tears. I'm a sucker for family-themed and animal-related stories.
  I found this so true and real, it hurts. It made me re-think about how fortunate and privileged I am to be able to sit in my porch, reading this book while stroking my dog and feeling the wind brushes my hair. In this quarantine time, I am far luckier than many of the people around me. And sadly I often forgets that.
  There's still good in this world, even in the darkest abyss of life itself.
  
  And this is exactly what I want this book to awaken in my children's hearts too.
  
  What I love about this book
  - I love that this book discussed faith in a very subtle, unleading way.
  - Talks about disability! And how Viji loves her disabled sister, Rukku, in a very sweet, sometimes too protective way. This book tells you that sometimes, even the closest people might hold someone back.
  - Maturity isn't related to age.
  
  I'd recommend this for everyone who needs a good, sad story about life.
  Prepare your tissues!
• 
  Kimberly

  Thank you @kidlitexchange @penguinkids and @venkatraman.padma for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This middle grade, realistic fiction will be realeased 2.5.19!!
  
  This book takes place in India. It follows two sisters, Viji and Rukku, as they run away from their abusive father and choose to live on the streets. They soon team up with two sweet boys, Muthi and Arul, who share their shelter and show them how to find work. The four quickly form a tight bond, along with their cute stray dog and soon find that family can indeed be one that you pick yourself and happiness is often found in the most unexpected ways.
  
  Goodness, this book packs a punch. Don’t let the overall size or the short chapter lengths fool you. Venkatraman’s storytelling is absolutely vivid and full of every possible emotion. After reading the author’s notes you realize the personal connection on where she got her real life inspiration and it makes you appreciate the story a thousand times more. It was easy to fall in love with these kids and route for them along the way. I adored their innocence, kindness and self-preservation.
  
  I love books that introduce the reader to a different culture. This book includes a glossary at the beginning for those words you might not be familiar with. It’s a sweet book, but it’s also incredibly heartbreaking and sad. It does cover some pretty heavy topics, but in an age appropriate way. Along with abuse and homelessness, it addressed severe poverty, child labor, disability, death and religion.
  This is definitely a story that needs to be shared!!!
• 
  Julia

  I really wanted to like this book, and I'm frustrated to say how much I didn't like it, and how ashamed I am of starred reviews making yet another mistake with this book, as with Mason Buttle, as with Wonder, as with so many books featuring disabled characters that I don't know why I'm surprised anymore.
  
  This is blurbed and reviewed and marketed and discussed as a short, accessible, heartwarming story of two sisters who run away from their abusive father and become homeless trash pickers, living with two boys and a stray dog, and find moments of joy and freedom in their survival story, before one sister dies and the other finds help with a shelter/school for "working children" and eventually turns her life around, moving through her grief to work towards her goal of becoming a teacher. Technically, this is all true.
  
  But, what this book actually is is another example of a "magical disabled" trope, where the developmentally disabled sister inspires the main character and others to find beauty in the little moments and joy in the simple things, let her do more than they assumed she was capable of, and rethink some of their anti-disability biases, before she tragically dies so the other characters can be inspired to "live on" and become better self-actualized people.
  
  The author says in her bio and author's note that she was inspired to write this story by the true experiences of children in India she met as a child and as an adult traveling for charity work. She could have successfully told a story of the kinds of children who become homeless in India, and what they live through and experience, in a way that didn't play into the "magical disabled" trope. Amal Unbound did it successfully with a Malala-inspired story. The Night Diary did it with a partition-inspired story. Yes, the other successful elements of this book are there. But the core of this book is just an offensive trope that uses a disabled character as a plot device to inspire change and growth in others, and the disability community is NOT fodder for inspiration porn. Therefore, I cannot recommend this book.
• 
  Melody

  Wow! What a great book! I listened to the audio version, read by the author. I was so touched. Thank you for bringing the plight of homeless children in India to light.
• 
  Donalyn

  Read this gorgeous book twice this year.
• 
  Susan

  I have loved Padma Venkatraman's YA titles and was so excited to see she was writing a book for middle grade readers. The respect she has shown for this age group in the writing of this poignant novel is amazing. She has not shied away from exposing the harsh realities of the caste system of India, while also honoring the authentic graciousness and integrity of organizations like Concerned for Working Children.
  
  Viji, Ruku, Arul, and Muthi illuminate the power of friendship in the beautifully written story. Filled with humor, tension, heartbreak, and hope, this is a story that I know will capture the hearts of readers for years to come. This is a must read, must own, must share book!
• 
  Phil J

  Thoughts after finishing
  
  I still feel like this book was too predictable and heavy-handed. My favorite parts were the world-building around the trash picker economy and the main character's complicated feelings about religion.
  
  notes on Chapters 1-7
  
  Very sad things happen to a spunky girl in danger. Much cultural knowledge is imparted to the reader.
  
  Venkatraman makes several poorly considered moves. She shoves tragedy in the reader's face before establishing investment in the character. If you're writing about an Asian culture for a Western audience, then orienting the reader with some kind of emotional connection is necessary. That's missing here- it's just a monkeypile of tragedy, kind of like the last 30 pages of a
  Sharon M. Draper novel.
  
  The other factor that pushed me away from the book was the overt telling of all character traits. She goes so far out of her way to trash the dad that it's anticlimactic when he starts slapping his kids. We all saw that coming, and pretty much the whole first 30 pages have the same deflated feeling to them.
  
  The thing I appreciate the most is putting the glossary before the first chapter. That's a really helpful move, and I wish more authors did it.
• 
  Laura Harrison

  In the early to mid 00's there was an influx of depressing children's middle grade readers. I am still traumatized by Cynthia Kadohata's Kira-Kira. How I hope we don't return to that trend in children's literature. Ofcourse The Bridge Home is well written. It is by Padma Venkatraman. Ofcourse the subject matter is important and everyone in the world should be aware of the millions of homeless and abused children in India. I believe it is just too dark for middle grade readers. The volume is slim but even if it were 600 pages I think many readers would finish it all in one sitting. Just to relieve the stress and hope for a satisfying ending. Worrying throughout the whole book as to whether the children would be beat, raped, killed...was overwhelming. One of the sisters had developmental issues and the author included a puppy to add to the stress. Does it have a shot as winning the Newbery. Yep, it does. Personally, I hope there will be many other contenders on the horizon.
• 
  Kateryna

  This is the story of two sisters, one with a developmental disability, who left home because of their abusive father to live on the streets of India. It was a depressing middle grade read. The pacing and writing fell flat for me. The author was very descriptive on street conditions, and then a puppy was included to add more sadness, and one of the characters died at the end. Even though there was a sliver of hope at the end of this story, the whole ordeal just felt sad. The subject matter is important, but I believe it is just too dark for middle grade readers, and it is not a book that I want to read again.
• 
  LUNA

  "That he still loves us. But love doesn’t stop him from living and moving forward, because that’s how life moves.."
  
  Read this in one sitting and finished it with tears on my face :(
• 
  neverblossom

  3.5/5
  
  Bản Việt cuốn này là Trên cây cầu đổ nát do Huy Hoàng dịch và phát hành nhen.
  
  Mở bát đầu năm bằng cuốn sách thiếu nhi (nghe có vẻ nặng nề nhưng thực ra) không quá nặng nề nè. Nếu ai muốn đọc một câu chuyện đầy cảm hứng nhân đạo nhưng song hành cùng với đó cũng là sự đau khổ, sự tuyệt vọng của những đứa trẻ lang thang trên đất nước Ấn Độ, Trên cây cầu đổ nát chính là cuốn sách dành cho bạn rồi. Tớ biết cuốn này nhờ các bạn booktube nước ngoài, trùng hợp ghê lại có bản dịch của Huy Hoàng bookstore thế này thì quất ngay không chần chừ ha.
  Trên cây cầu đổ nát với hai nhân vật chính là hai chị em Ruku và Viji, có lẽ tuổi thơ của chúng sẽ đẹp hơn bao nhiêu nếu không phải chịu dày vò tủi nhục với đòn roi của người cha vũ phu nghiện rượu. Cũng bởi vì thế, Ruku và Viji quyết tâm lên đường bỏ trốn. Hành trình của hai chị em là một hành trình khó khăn, thiếu thốn và tuyệt vọng, số tiền hai đứa nhỏ mang trong người cũng chỉ đủ để cầm cự cho vài ngày. Tưởng đâu lên thành phố Rukku và Viji sẽ là sự giải thoát nhưng không, một lần nữa hai chị em lại phải đối mặt với những khốn khổ khác của số phận trẻ vô gia cư.
  
  
  Vì là văn chương viết cho thiếu nhi nên Trên cây cầu đổ nát được tác giả viết với ngôn từ đơn giản, không hoa mĩ nhưng lại khắc họa được phần nào những tuyệt vọng mà hai chị em Viji và Ruku phải gánh chịu. Chúng ta không thể nào mà tưởng tượng ra được cuộc sống bên rìa xã hội của những đứa trẻ vô gia cư như thế nào cho đến khi đọc cuốn sách này. Tuổi nhỏ nhưng hai chị em đã phải làm việc, dù là những công việc khó nhằn nhất và không thích hợp đối với một đứa trẻ. Ngoài những túng thiếu vật chất chỗ ăn ở, chúng phải đối mặt với những vấn nạn như bị bắt nạt, thậm chí nguy hiểm hơn là nạn hiếp dâm phụ nữ và trẻ em.
  
  Dù thế, Trên cây cầu đổ nát không chỉ viết về sự đau khổ mà còn sáng lên niềm tin và hy vọng, rằng có tồn tại những người tốt và họ sẵn sàng đưa tay ra giúp đỡ bạn dù khi bạn tưởng như đang kẹt sâu dưới đáy cuộc sống. Đó là ước mơ làm cô giáo của Viji, những sở thích và sự khẳng định bản thân của Rukku hay cả hai nhân cậu bé Arul và cậu em Muthu. Đúng là tớ bị *trúng lời nguyền* với các nhân vật phụ hay sao á mọi người, đọc sách truyện gì cũng chỉ thích nhân vật phụ thôi nên cực kỳ ấn tượng với cậu bé Arul, nhiều khi cảm giác tác giả xây dựng nhân vật cậu bé này có chiều sâu tính cách hay có những cá tính nổi bật thật sự hơn so với hai em nhân vật chính luôn á.
  
  Thông điệp của Trên cây cầu đổ nát thực sự rất tuyệt vời, nhưng có lẽ cách hành văn dành cho thiếu nhi đơn giản nên với tớ thì chưa thực sự cảm thấy kiểu bùng nổ cảm xúc hay *feel* được hết, nên tạm để số điểm 3.5 thôi. Ngoài ra ở cuối truyện có phần mục ghi chú thông tin cũng như thông điệp của tác giả về tình trạng trẻ em đói nghèo hay những vấn nạn xã hội ở Ấn Độ, đọc cũng biết được thêm nhiều thứ và chợt nhận ra bản thân mình được sống cuộc sống đầy đủ hơn rất nhiều người. Nói chung recommend cho các bạn cuốn sách này, Trên cây cầu đổ nát là một sự lựa chọn khá ổn để mở bát năm mới và những ai muốn mua tặng sách cho các em nhỏ cũng có thể tham khảo cuốn này nha.
• 
  Lisa (Remarkablylisa)

  MY RATING: 5/5 STARS
  
  I received an ARC from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for a honest review.
  
  Honestly, guys. Honestly, this book hands down converted me into a middle grade novel reader. Like I thought I would be too mature for the style of writing but THE BRIDGE HOME was written simply for a young reader but it didn't annoy me nor did the characters feel too childish for me to relate. This book has made me feel so many e m o t i o n s and has made me cry from many chapters. 
  
  The Bridge Home follows two sisters. One sister, Viji, is the older one and it's told from her first person perspective but her younger sister, Rukku, is told in second person perspective. I know. Weird. But really cool that you are part of the story. Padma did a fantastic way of describing Rukku's feelings and actions that you totally felt like you were doing them and feeling all the things she felt. I loved it. Viji and Rukku are just these two young girls who has an abusive father and a mother who is too weak to physically fight back and financially incapable of walking away from the marriage. One night when the fight gets too bad, Viji takes Rukku from her bed and enters the big city to find a new way of living. However, when you have no money and no family, you find yourself with very limited options. They both meet two other boys, one similar age to Viji, named Arul, and a not that much younger boy named Muthi. For a second here, I thought they would fight like cats and dogs, absolutely hating each other but Arul is an angel. 
  
  Instead of feeling threatened by Viji and her younger sister, he's accepting of them and offers tips and advice to live on the streets. They even share a common home--the bridge. Although this is a middle grade novel, this book is raw and so unbearably real. The circumstances these four young children face each day is heard of through charity commercials. They struggle to find food, shelter, and clothes. The dangers of the environment play a heavy role in this story, making it so realistic that you're worried about how these children could possibly survive. Towards he end, something does happen that makes you burst into tears. These children that you fall in love with are not in a fantastical world but in the real world we see today and they're not invincible.
  
  I just want to say that I love Arul. He's sooooooooooooo mature for his age. He's so wise for his age that I envy him. I'm twenty three years old and this boy is a better person than me hands down. If we could all take lessons from him to be as kind and sweet then this world would be less rough of a place.
  
  MY RECOMMENDATION 
  
  DEFINITELY PICK THIS ONE UP. And then cry with me.
• 
  Julie

  Updated May 6th, 2019: I recently listened to the audio of this book after reading it multiple times and I am SO happy I did. Padma reads the story and it made a perfect book even better. I cannot love this book more. A favorite of 2018 AND 2019. Definitely one that I will recommend for years to come. Such a special book!!!
  
  Original review from August 2018: I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book from Nancy Paulsen and I am so glad I did! It is amazing!
  
  When Viji realizes her mother is not going to do anything to get away from her abusive father, even after he starts hurting Viji and her learning disabled sister Ruku, Viji decides they would be better off running away and living off the streets in the city. She leaves with few possessions and very little money not aware of the dangers and struggles that face them. The girls find two street boys who help them find shelter, food and a way to survive. The four become instant friends and eventually grow to be family. They spend their days searching through trash piles for treasure to be sold for rupees, only to be taken advantage of and treated by some as worse than the trash they sort through each day. When the rainy season descends, so does illness and they are forced to make tough decisions about what they must do and who they can trust for help.
  
  This book is Padma Venkatraman’s first middle grade novel. She has done a fantastic job writing for this age group and I am elated to have this book available for my middle grade readers. This book comes out in February 2019. A definite pre-order!
• 
  Tanja Berg

  A middle grade book about a pair of sisters - one who is mentally set back - who run away from home because of their violent father. It follows their new friendships and their attempts to survive on the streets of India. Sweet, with a bitter undertone. I even teared up a bit at the end.
• 
  L Y N N

  This book stomped on my heart, but in a good way, of that makes any sense! Oh, but I’d only no children in this were homeless or hungry or made to pick through trash and garbage to sell what they could. If only...
• 
  Brandy Painter

  I really don't know what to rate this. This is well-written and for such a short, easy read packs quite the emotional wallop. This is a contemporary story of two sisters in India who run away from their abusive father and have to survive on the streets of a big city. They are homeless and spend their days scavenging through trash for anything that might bring a little money. They meet two young boys, and the four children quickly form a family. They will do anything to protect each other. The story is told through the point of view of Viji, the younger sister. This might have blown me away, but for one major spoiler. That element that packs the emotional wallop. I think the author had the best of intentions with what she was doing and much of that is done so well. But at the same time I'm...uncomfortable enough with this element to not feel confident in recommending it. I feel she could have gone a different direction and it would have been way less problematic. Upon further reflection, I may need to revisit this, but that is my stance now. I don't think you get cookies for having good intentions but landing in the swamp of problematic tropes anyways.
  
  For the curious:
  Viji's sister has some type of intellectual disability. It is hard to determine what type, and it's never really explained. She is definitely neurodiverse enough that she is noticed by everyone as such. And she dies. Her death leads to a lot of plot movement and character growth for her sister, which is why I'm uncomfortable. There is realism, and then there is killing off the person with a disability to make the reader feel things and have the main character learn a Life Lesson™️. That has been done so many time in the name of realism that it is beyond cliché. It is actually downright dangerous.
• 
  Darla

  This story will both break your heart and fill you with hope. Viji (our narrator) and her mentally challenged sister Ruku are in an abusive home. When their appa turns on them, Viji packs up for both of them and they take a bus to the city. Throughout the book, Viji is writing recounting their story for Ruku. They are fortunate to befriend two homeless boys about their age and find temporary shelter and find ways to make money for food. They manage on their own until Ruku gets to sick for them to help her on their own. A faith in God is shown as a lifeline by many characters in this book although Viji finds herself unable to trust in a Heavenly Father when her earthly father was such a disappointment. Overall an uplifting and enlightening story which will remind many of the blessings they have in their lives.
  
  A big thank you to Nancy Paulsen Books and Edelweiss for a digital ARC of this book.
• 
  lily reads and other things

  This book destroyed me. I had to read it for school and I actually loved it. My teacher had asked me if I could read the whole book this weekend and I said yes. So on Monday, I get to read a different book by this author and I'm so excited. I loved every single character. This book tore me into 11 million pieces. I definitely recommend this book and just be prepared to cry. This is the saddest book I've ever read and I've read a lot of books. I loved this book so much💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
• 
  Miller Mi

  After finish reading this book, I understood more about how hard is life. Viji had to earn money to make sure she and her sister and "brothers" have food to eat. I feel very sorry for Viji and Rukku, especially Rukku. The world is unfair, when we are studying in fine classrooms, Viji and Rukku had to work to survive. I was shocked when I read to the part Rukku died. She died because she didn't have money to go to the hospital, and it was raining all week. I hope someday in the future, fewer and fewer kids will have to do the same thing as Viji and Rukku did.
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  Becky

  I just finished The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. It’s a moving story that will stay in my heart for awhile.
  
  India is the backdrop where 2 sisters, Viji and Rokku run away from home to escape their abusive father. They find shelter at an abandoned bridge and friendship with 2 other homeless boys, Muthi and Arul.
  
  These 4 resilient children struggle to survive by sorting through trash to earn money, encounter thieves, and attempt to stay dry during the monsoon season. They meet so many people along the way-some that are kind, some that aren’t; but all along the way, these kids are brave and focused on survival.
  
  There’s love, laughter, sacrifice, tears... I was a crying mess at the end. I was transported to India via this story and fell in love with these kids.
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  Elly Swartz

  The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman is a tug-at-your-heart story of friendship, resilience, and survival. It highlights the unbearable choices we sometimes must make to protect those we care about the most. And weaves the realities of homelessness, fear, and despair, with the love that finds us in the most unsuspecting and extraordinary places. Padma's masterful storytelling shines in The Bridge Home. Highly recommend!
• 
  Shannon

  Sometimes the people who have the least can teach us the most.
  
  This would be great for fans of
  Wonder. Or, if you enjoyed the movie
  Tigers Are Not Afraid, which I very much did.
• 
  Mary Lee

  Definitely a window into the horrible lives of homeless street children in India. Horrible lives that are also filled with moments of beauty, love, compassion, camaraderie, and freedom. This is a story of two extraordinary sisters and the boys who become like brothers. In spite of the suffering and loss, this is a story filled with hope.