The Bridge Home by Padma Venkataraman

My name is Viji, and I knew I needed to take you far away from our parents, Rukku. When Appa first hit us, I knew he'd never stop and Amma wouldn't do anything about it. I'd never seen so many people in one place until we got to the city. Teashop Aunty showed us kindness that first day, and she even gave you beads to make necklaces. That was your favorite thing to do. Later, we made a "home" under the bridge where Arul and Muthu made us part of their family. They were so nice to us, especially you, and they made me see that maybe I'd underestimated you. It was my job to protect you. The boys showed us how to live on the streets, but they couldn't protect us from all the dangers. 

This book was a finalist for the 2019 Cybil's Book Award in Middle-Grade Fiction. The author addressed the poverty in India that was reinforced by its caste system. Viji's relatives had disowned the family, since her mother had eloped and married a man from an even lower caste. Viji said her sister was slow, but there wasn't any more detail until the term learning disability was brought up late in the book. The sisters were lucky to find Arul and Muthu, although the homeless boys didn't want to think about the future. It was hard enough to live one day at a time on the streets. In contrast, Viji dreamed of someday becoming a teacher, and she thought Rukku could open her own bead shop. An interesting subplot was Arul's belief in the Christian religion. He prayed to one god and told the others stories from the Bible. They listened but didn't really understand his thinking. The book shared a lot of information from the Indian culture, but the author blended it smoothly. I never felt like the book was trying to teach me new knowledge. The last part of the book was pretty emotional, but most of the main characters lived happily ever after. The fact that Viji was narrating the story provided some foreshadowing of the end. Overall, this was a wonderful story, and I highly recommend you give it a shot.