Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

Jonathan Auxier

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

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 together--saving one another in the process.


From the Forum

No posts yet

Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update

Recent Reviews

Your rating:

  • noherbjustsage
    Dec 18, 2024
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • coffeebookscrafts
    Mar 09, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • laurenmidna
    Mar 25, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    The magic of this book really swept me away (HA). The reader gets an idea of what's going on well before Nan does, and it's heartbreaking to watch her discover these dark parts of her past, and slowly realize what's coming in her future.
    The merging of history and fantasy works perfectly here. I found myself searching for information on the child sweeps of the past, the disturbing truths around their profession.
    I absolutely fell in love with Charlie, the monster. A child-like golem, a monster with a heart of gold, how could you not love him? This story is heart breaking and also heart warming, telling of courage, friendship, adventure, looking past the surface of things. I think if I was a little younger, it could easily have been one of my favorite books of all time.

    0
    comments 0
    Reply
  • View all reviews
    Community recs if you liked this book...