Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
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 Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
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World History > Industrial Age > Child Labor
For nearly a century, Victorian London relied on “climbing boys”—orphans owned by chimney sweeps—to clean flues and protect homes from fire. The work was hard, thankless, and brutally dangerous. Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is quite possibly the best climber who ever lived—and a girl. With her wits and will, she’s managed to beat the deadly odds time and time again. But when Nan gets stuck in a deadly chimney fire, she fears her time has come. Instead, she wakes to find herself in an abandoned attic. And she is not alone. Huddled in the corner is a mysterious creature—a golem—made from ash and coal. This is the creature that saved her from the fire.
Sweep is the story of a girl and her monster. Together, these two outcasts carve out a life—saving one another in the process. By one of today’s most powerful storytellers, Sweep is a heartrending adventure about the everlasting gifts of friendship and hope.
Emily's Review
I read this aloud with my 10-year-old...and oh my goodness. What a beautiful book. It definitely lived up to the hype. The storytelling was done so well These felt like real people, walking off the page to tell us their story. It had so many things that I love in books - Victorian London setting, children finding a magical protector, Judaism in a story NOT about the Holocaust (far rarer than you'd think), and a really nasty villain. A beautiful blend of historical fiction and fantasy, with themes of friendship, sacrifice and courage. I think this is a book that both my daughter and I will reread in the future.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of Child Labor.
- The Child Labor Reform Movement: An Interactive History Adventure (by: Otfinoski, Steven, MG)
- Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster (by: Auxier, Jonathan, MG, UMG)