Broken Bridge (Paperback)

by Lynne Reid Banks (Author) "Nili yawned and stretched her feet deep into the enormous hotel bed..." (more)
Key Phrases: culture house, West Bank, Kfar Orde, Six-Day War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW called this sequel to One More River, about an Israeli girl who witnesses her cousin's murder by Palestinians, "a powerful, moving tale." Ages12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10?The murder of a Canadian teen by Arab terrorists in the streets of Jerusalem heightens political tensions and triggers conflicting emotions felt by members of his family in this sequel to One More River (Morrow, 1992). Twenty-five years have passed since Lesley Shelby and her parents emigrated to Israel from Canada; Nili, her daughter, witness to the brutal murder of her cousin Glen, is inexplicably spared. In the aftermath of the attack, as police forces track the murderers, Nili's family tries to come to terms with grief and anger. Nili, fiercely loyal to Jewish Israel, is torn as she tries to protect the terrorist who deliberately intervened and saved her life. Her uncle Noah, the murdered boy's father, faces demons that made him flee Israel, abandoning his first family, years ago. Readers of the earlier novel could fully emphathize with teenage outsider Lesley Shelby, as she made the painful adjustment to the strangeness and raw danger of kibbutz life near the Jordanian border. Broken Bridge, however, has so many points-of-view that its focus is splintered. While its varied voices weave an intricate tapestry of events and emotions in contemporary Israel, both Jewish and Arab, YA readers will find it hard to identify with the guilt of adult characters the ages of their parents and grandparents.?Alice Casey Smith, Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Manalapan, NJ
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380723840
• ISBN-13: 978-0380723843
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,180,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK book, April 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Broken Bridge (Hardcover)

The book Broken Bridge written by Lynne Reid Banks is an exciting but sad story of a fourteen-year-old Jewish Canadian boy named Glen who goes to Israel to be with his relatives. Glen travels to Israel with his cousin Neli, but when they arrive there is no one there to pick them up. When they are not picked up, they decide to go home themselves. An Arab stabs Glen on their way home but Neli, is mysteriously saved by another Arab. The rest of the book deals with Neli's sadness about the event and how it affects many people in the Israeli community. The book also deals with the Arab side of the country and deals with the search for the two Arab murderers that kill Glen and how their lives and community are affected by their crime. The story is political and it is well written because it makes you think about how both sides of the story feel about the issues, like the war and the wall. Also perhaps Glen is murdered because he is such and innocent victim, may be used to show that some of the Arabs don't care who they kill even if they have nothing to do with the issue. And Glen may have been chosen to show how everyone came together to mourn his death. The book is a good book because it helps you learn about both sides of the conflict, and how the Arabs and Israelis both do some things that are right and some things that are wrong.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A snazzy story of the Arab-Israeli conflict, April 23, 2004

By	Snazzy wazz on Alcatraz (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Knifing, Stabbing, Explosives, throwing of stones, all of this and more takes place in Broken Bridge. Broken Bridge, written by Lynne Reid Banks, is a historic novel and is based on the tragic event of the Intifada, (that takes place in Jerusalem, Israel). Nili, the main character, was nearly murdered by two Arabs on a street corner. Unfortunately, Nili's cousin, Glenn, is stabbed by one of the two men. The other man attempts to save Nili and succeeds. Nili refuses to turn her savior in, and is asked time and time again to give information about one of the men. She does not give in. Nili is determined to keep the man out of harm's way, as he did for her.

In the story of Broken Bridge, the plot was on the strong side. Although the book starts out quite dull, it gets more exciting the more you read. Everything weaves together nicely, which enables readers to stay hooked into the book. The book has a large number of characters, many of which who are constantly used, but, the book does not include many Arab characters, which shows that the book is biased towards the Israeli side. The author, also, does a so-so job of covering some of the situations that took place in the Middle East during the first Intifada. One criticism of this book is that it does not truly recreate scenes that possibly took place during the Intifada in Israel. She does, though, do a great job of using the type of language that was most likely used during that time. Many of the characters rarely speak perfect English, showing that English is not their native language. Lynne Reid Banks purpose in Broken bridge, was to educate those uneducated on the topic of the Intifada. If you have no idea of what the Intifada is before you read this story, you will leave with a basic understanding.

This is not your normal book, but is not a difficult, or an extremely easy story. It is intended more for readers of the Young Adult reading category. Broken Bridge is a story that is for strong readers, who can keep on track with a complicated plot. I recommend this story to all who are in for a tragic and exciting read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historical novel for teens., May 6, 2003

By	L. Suha "liana" (United States) - See all my reviews

Broken Bridge is the sequel to One More River and is written some 20 years later.
It focuses on one family, living on a kibbutz in Israel that becomes intimately involved with the intifada when one of them, a 14 year old boy is murdered. I should be noted that this book is primarily from the Israeli viewpoint, the Arab voices here are heard less.
I lived in Israel for several years during the intifada and can say that what makes this book particularly good for young readers is the combination of compelling personal story line, following Nili and her brother as they deal with the tragedy, and the inclusion of many points of view. We hear from Israelis who are very sympathetic to the Arabs and from others who aren't, feeling that revenge is important and that people can only take so much. This is a very important debate and it can help children get a better understanding of the situation and that not nation has only one viewpoint.
I can highly recommend this, both from a literary and a historical perspective.