The
Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
From the
publisher:
Life
is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, 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
that’s also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of
them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the
city’s trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to 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.
Hearing
the author read it was such a treat. It placed you right in the story
immediately and I could see everything clearly. Felt it and smelled it all too.
I hadn’t
read the description before listening to it, so I kept getting hints that the
younger sister, Rukku, had a developmental disability. So, at first, I thought
she was really young, but I finally caught on. The relationships among the four
kids was sensitive and kind, even though they encountered plenty of people who
weren’t.
There was
never a time I got pulled out and I always wanted to go back into it.
There is
pain and sorrow but also laughter and love. This story stayed with me since the
characters, the world, and the story pulled me in and held me there. I would
definitely recommend listening to this book since there’s a definite magic to
it.
Dragon
Assassin 1: Twin Fury by Arthur Slade
From the
Author’s website:
Carmen
wants to graduate. But the emperor wants her dead. Her classmates might, too.
At
least she has a dragon on her side.
Carmen
is desperate to finish ahead of her twin brother and the rest of the class.
They’ve been trained to hunt using giant black swans, but Carmen has discovered
a dragon. All she has to do is get on his back.
One
problem: he's killed everyone who gets near him.
Then
the Emperor declares war on assassins. Graduation night is about to become the
fight of her life.
Take
flight with this first episode in the Dragon Assassin series.
It’s a
non-stop young adult adventure from best-selling author Arthur Slade. Perfect
for fans of Dragon Riders of Pern, Dragon School, Eragon and Call of the
Dragon.
This
fantasy book pulled me in with short chapters, interesting characters, and
action that forged the story ahead at full speed.
As with
the other audio book, there was never a time I got pulled out and I always
wanted to go back into it. The reader is Clare Corbett and her British accents
reminded me Downton Abbey characters, which of course, made me love it even
more. I always marvel at the readers/actors who give you a full picture with
different voice characterizations.
There are
constant twists and turns, magic, of course a snarky dragon who talks, and a
host of dimensional characters you feel like you’ve gone to school with, too.
I’ve read
other Slade books, like The Hunchback Assignments and Flickers. I wrote a
review on Flickers a few years ago. Loved that one too. He has so many books I
want to read. And, he’s from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, just like I am.
Do
yourself a favor and download these enchanting audio books.
