Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

by Jonathan Auxier (Author)

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A 2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner!

It's been five years since the Sweep disappeared. Orphaned and alone, Nan Sparrow had no other choice but to work for a ruthless chimney sweep named Wilkie Crudd. She spends her days sweeping out chimneys. The job is dangerous and thankless, but with her wits and will, Nan has managed to beat the deadly odds time and time again.

When Nan gets stuck in a chimney fire, she fears the end has come. Instead, she wakes to find herself unharmed in an abandoned attic. And she is not alone. Huddled in the corner is a mysterious creature--a golem--made from soot and ash.

Sweep is the story of a girl and her monster. Together, these two outcasts carve out a new life--saving each other in the process. Lyrically told by one of today's most powerful storytellers, Sweep is a heartrending adventure about the everlasting gifts of friendship and wonder.

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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

A chimney sweep disappears from a London rooftop, leaving six-year-old Nan Sparrow alone, save for a hat and a lump of mysteriously ever-warm charcoal—her char. To survive, Nan joins a gang of "climbing boys" owned by the abusive Wilkie Crudd. By age 11, she is the finest sweep of them all, but following a brutal chimney fire, she discovers that her char has become a golem, which she names Charlie, and that he has saved her life. As the two hide from Crudd, Nan grows to love Charlie and his particular brand of magic, and she learns that golems are, by nature, ephemeral: if Charlie can flame up, he can almost certainly flame out. A cast of fully fleshed (and sooted) characters contribute texture and community, and Auxier (The Night Gardener) mixes moments of triumph and pure delight (new snow, rooftop vistas) with dark, Dickensian themes (child labor, sickness, poverty). Told in two allusive sections—"Innocence" and "Experience," after Blake's volume—that pivot between Nan's past and present, this dazzling, warmhearted novel contemplates selflessness and saving, deep love and what makes a monster. Ages 8-12. Agent: Joe Regal, Regal Hoffmann & Assoc. (Sept.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8--A stunning historical fantasy novel about the power of friendship, our potential for courage, and the beauty of remembering loved ones, set in Victorian England. Nan is one of the many child sweeps who have the dangerous job of cleaning chimneys. She wakes one morning to find her beloved father figure, the Sweep, gone, a lump of char in his place. Years later, Nan gets caught in a chimney fire and is rescued by the char, who springs to life as a Golem named Charlie. Nan soon befriends a young teacher named Miss Bloom, from whom she learns that Golems no longer live after their purpose is served. When a young sweep dies, Nan, her fellow sweeps, and Miss Bloom organize a protest on May Day to reveal the dangers of their job to the general public. Meanwhile, Nan realizes the Golem's true purpose and with it, the difficulty of letting go. Auxier phenomenally weaves historical facts and fantasy. While the feats of these child sweeps seem incredible, Auxier provides back matter in the form of historical notes to clarify fact from fiction. Nan's strong yet vulnerable personality will appeal to readers, and a realistic set of secondary characters add depth to the plot. The novel's structure is a nod to William Blake and will delight teachers and librarians. VERDICT Excellent writing and skillful integration of historical fact with compelling characters make this a must-buy where middle grade fantasy is in demand.--Amy McInerney, Falmouth Elementary School, ME

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Auxier wipes away the grime from a bleak chapter in history, where children were forced to work dangerous jobs that claimed many lives. He questions what makes one a monster and applauds helping others, activism, education, earthly marvels, and the possibility of magic. Nan's fiery personality will attract readers like moths, and Auxier's unusual blend of mythology and history will keep them transfixed."—Booklist
Jonathan Auxier
Jonathan Auxier is the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, The Night Gardener, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, and Sweep. He lives with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Olga Demidova has illustrated many books for children around the world, including A Friendship Yarn and Petal the Angry Cow. She studied at the Moscow Art Institute of Applied Art
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781419737022
Lexile Measure
630
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Harry N. Abrams
Publication date
May 05, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV039070 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Homelessness & Poverty
JUV013050 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Orphans & Foster Homes
JUV016040 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Europe
JUV052000 - Juvenile Fiction | Monsters
Library of Congress categories
History
19th century
Great Britain
Friendship
Orphans
Golem
Fantasy
Homeless persons
London (England)
Fantasy fiction
JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Orphans & Foster
Chimney sweeps
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Homelessne
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Winner 2019 - 2019

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