The Bridge Home

The Bridge Home
by
Padma Venkatraman

 From the publisher:
When Viji and her sister, Rukku, whose developmental disability makes her overly trusting and vulnerable to the perils of the world, run away to live on their own, the situation could not be more grim. Life on the streets of the teeming city of Chennai is harsh for girls considered outcasts, but the sisters manage to find shelter on an abandoned bridge. There they befriend Muthi and Arul, two boys in a similar predicament, and the four children bond together and form a family of sorts. Viji starts working with the boys scavenging in trash heaps while Rukku makes bead necklaces, and they buy food with what little money they earn. They are often hungry and scared but they have each other--and Kutti, the best dog ever. When the kids are forced from their safe haven on the bridge, they take shelter in a graveyard. But it is now the rainy season and they are plagued by mosquitos, and Rukku and Muthu fall ill. As their symptoms worsen, Viji and Arul must decide whether to risk going for help--when most adults in their lives have proven themselves untrustworthy--or to continue holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

This was a hard one to put down and a very quick read. It was somehow both painful and uplifting. What these children go through is horrible, yet they persevere and stay true to each other. I love stories about families-by-choice. I think this book will open the eyes of some of our middle school students to what happens out in the world. Maybe it will make them a little more grateful for everything they have in their lives. I loved the main characters and found the story gripping. One of the parts I really appreciated was when Viji realized that even though she hated it when others didn't think Rukku could do things, she was also not helping her to live up to her potential. I loved the way the sisters took care of each other. And I loved Arul's faith in the midst of homelessness, extreme poverty, and horrible working conditions. I'm so glad the 4 found each other! They each had abilities that helped in their little family. I was very happy to find an adult in the book that was good and trustworthy, but sad there was only one. I really enjoyed reading it and I'm going to imagine that Viji not only becomes a teacher when she grows up, but a special needs teacher.

Areas of concern:
*An abusive father
*Running away from home
*Extreme poverty and hardship
*Several bad adults who were trying to take advantage of the children
*The death of a beloved character

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 5-7
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 10-14

Out of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper

 From the publisher:
Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow.

I really liked this book and it gave me all the feels, however there were some things that really bothered me. I didn't appreciate the portrayal of most of the teachers. Maybe it is just that our school is special and inclusive, but we love our special needs kids here - staff and students, alike. I have an elementary age special needs granddaughter in another city who has had amazing SpEd teachers and GenEd teachers who have loved her and taught her. So I really hated that even the "nice" teachers were a little clueless. I also didn't like the ending and thought it was unnecessary. I would rather have had the kids at school be more accepting and gone on with that storyline. That being said, I really did like the book and loved Melody. I can't imagine what it would be like to have so much intelligence and be trapped in a body you can't control. And our middle school students LOVE this book and they won't notice the things that bothered me. I think they will probably just learn from it and expand their minds on how people with disabilities should be loved, respected, and treated with kindness. I will highly recommend this to my students, as they have recommended it to me.

Suggested Ages:  
Booklist - Grades 5-8
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+