Sweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster (Amulet Books, 2018) by Jonathan Auxier is a book to love and hate. I love the story; I love the main character. I hate the villains and the callous treatment of chimney sweeps in Victorian London.
Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is employed by the cruel Wilkie Crudd as a chimney sweep. So far she’s managed to survive, but one day she gets stuck in a chimney, and a fire is lit beneath her to get her out. Somehow she wakes up in an attic. She and her new friend need a place to stay, away from Wilkie Crudd. Eventually they try to help all children who work as chimney sweeps, too.
This is a fantastic tale. I wish all would read this story about friendships and survival. The book won the 2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers.
Read about the author’s other books here. Read about him here and watch his changing author picture. 😉 Check out the monster faces here.