The Bridge Home

by Padma Venkatraman; read by the author

Intermediate, Middle School    Listening Library    Rev. 1/19    4 CDs    4.55 hrs.    978-1-9848-4509-2    $38.00

Venkatraman’s memorable middle-grade and middle-school novel follows homeless children trying to survive on the streets of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. In this excellent audio production, the author breathes life into her narrator, Viji, in a heart-rending performance that perfectly complements the narrative voice. The reading by Chennai-born Venkatraman adds a feeling of authenticity, while her slow, deliberate pace allows listeners to linger, imagining Viji’s world and digesting each moment of her journey, with its difficult decisions and realizations, its hardships and pleasures.

From the July/August 2019 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.