Saturday, November 10, 2007

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

the-family-under-the-bridge.jpgThe Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson


Genre: Preteen Fiction


Published in 1958


Recommended Age Group: 7 and Up


Summary: The Family Under the Bridge begins with Armand a hobo making his way through Paris. He is convinced that something wonderful is going to happen and it makes him happy. He even finds a scrap of holly to adorn his coat to make him look handsome. He meets a gypsy on his walk and she tells him that he is in for adventure and to be careful or someone will see his heart and what a kind man he is and that is just what happens. Armand has a bridge that he usually sleeps under and when he arrives he finds three children have made it their new home. Their mother is out working but since their father died they don’t have enough money to rent a place. Armand cares for them during the day and helps them stay happy in spite of the sad circumstances. He takes them to see Father Christmas (the Santa Clause of France) and they ask him for a house. One day two women pass by and notice the children alone and say that they are going to get someone to help them. The children are scared because they don’t want to be taken away from their mother but Armand takes them to a gypsy camp where they are given good food and a warm place to sleep. Armand, though resistant, welcomes them into his heart and in the end gets a job, becomes part of the family, and most of all finds them a house.


Personal Notes: This Newbery Honor book was a quick and enjoyable read! It reminded me of Miracle on 34th Street but a book. It has a lot of subtle lessons about pride but the most important lesson is about kindness. A perfect book for the holiday season and interesting enough to hold anyone’s interest.

23 comments:

  1. that's a book so good and I really like it

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  2. Great summary! Keep up the good work.

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  3. i have read the book nice summary though.

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  4. Great Summary! luv it, it helps a lot :)

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  5. hey the book is great i can wait to read onother one

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  6. thnx this helps for my book report

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  7. I read this book in school. Its really good. How old are you guys cause i just want to see the range. Im 12

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  8. i liked it, but im not soo sure it diserved the newberry honor.

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  9. Im reading it right now. Love this book!

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  10. OMD! THIS BOOK IS SOOOO INTERESTING1 ITS A FRIKEN AWESOME BOOK! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

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  11. We are third graders and we read this book in our group. We loved it! We had fun reading it. We are glad that Armand got a home in the end.

    "I think it would be a nice children's book" - MW

    "I think it should win another award." - JM

    "Why did the story take place in Paris?" -MM

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  12. I DON'T LIKE THIS BOOK. BUT IT'S ALRIGHT.

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  13. Not too shabby. It wasn't the best book but it was good.

    I needed the summary for a book report.

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  14. it helps me 2!!!SYKE!!!LOL

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  15. i like the story because it makes me feel sad

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  16. suchhhhhhhh a goooooooooooooooooooooood booooooooooooooooook

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  17. I read half of the book and i decided to look up on the compter and there it was . it helped alot

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  18. OMG Thank You so much! I read this book a while back and couldn't remember what had happened. Now I want to read it again! *giggles* :)

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  19. yo this helped me refresh my memory of this book thnks who ever did this!!

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