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Sweep: the story of a girl and her monster



By: Jonathan Auxier
New York: Amulet Books, 2018. Fiction. 344 p.

Nan Sparrow is a ten year old orphan girl  who doesn't go to school but must work sweeping chimneys. She is fast and very careful but one day she gets stuck in a chimney fire and she knows she is going to die. Instead she wakes up to find herself in an attic with a strange creature who has been created, by the fire, from her lucky "char" that she carries in her pocket.  It is a golem made from soot and ash that she names Charlie.  He became her responsibility and her protector and together they make a new life together and save each other in the process.

I loved the historical elements the author brought into this story that was informative about the time period before child labor laws had gone into effect. Enjoy this heart felt adventure story about friendship and discovery told by the incredible story teller Jonathan Auxier. 

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