The Bridge Home

The Bridge Home

Paperback
Pages: 196
Date of Release: 2019

Literary awards : SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Young Reader and Middle Grade Fiction (2020), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee (2021), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2019), Walter Dean Myers Award for Younger Readers Category (2020), Mark Twain Readers Award Nominee (2022)

A powerful and compassionate middle-grade novel by Padma Venkatraman, The Bridge Home tells the moving story of four homeless children who find friendship, courage, and hope amid the harsh realities of life on the streets of Chennai.

When runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive in the city, eleven-year-old Viji quickly realizes how dangerous and unforgiving the world can be for children alone. Their lives change when they meet two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, and together the four find shelter beneath an abandoned bridge. What begins as survival slowly grows into something deeper—a chosen family built on trust, laughter, and shared resilience.

Scavenging trash heaps to survive is brutal, yet the children take pride in their independence and their freedom from unreliable adults. But when illness threatens their fragile stability, Viji is forced to make an impossible choice: risk trusting strangers for help, or protect the hard-won independence that keeps them together.

Tender, honest, and deeply human, The Bridge Home explores themes of sisterhood, homelessness, resilience, and the meaning of home, making it an unforgettable read for young readers aged 10+.

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