Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier (review)

Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is a "climber" in Victorian London, doing the hard, dangerous work of climbing into flues to clean them out. Before she was indentured to the cruel Wilkie Crudd, though, she wandered the English countryside with the magical Sweep, her adoptive father, who kept her warm, fed, and looking at the world with wonder. When he vanished, the Sweep left behind a strange lump of char that's always warm and sometimes seems to roll away of its own accord—a mystery that's finally solved when Nan's caught in a chimney fire and the flames reveal that what the Sweep left behind was a golem, a creature of Jewish folklore made to be a protector. Nan names him Charlie, and together they flee Crudd and set out to make their own way in London. Nan is appealingly tough and worldly but still full of openness, which leads her to make a connection with a teacher who helps her organize the climbers in a May Day protest march but also nearly kills her when she trustingly allows one of the climbers from Crudd's crew to lead her into a trap. The novel doesn't flinch from the difficulties of life for poor and orphaned children in nineteenth-century London, but its dominant tone is one of warmth, as Nan learns through her friendship with Charlie and the other climbers that "we save ourselves by saving others." This bittersweet coming-of-age tale will leave readers with the notion that even young people can make a difference when they raise their voices about issues they care about, and short chapters make this an accessible choice for younger readers despite its length. Back matter discusses the author's creative influences and gives suggestions for further reading on golems, chimney sweeps, and Jews and anti-Semitism in Victorian London.