Sweep, The Story of a Girl & Her Monster

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Jonathan Auxier

Since Auxier's first novel published in 2011 -- Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes --  he has earned numerous awards with only three novels:

• American Booksellers Association New Voices
• BookPage Magazine "Best Book" of 2011
• Junior Library Guild selection
• American Booksellers Association IndieNext Award
• TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
• International Literacy Association Children's Book Award
• Governor General's Award for English-Language Fiction
• NCTE Charlotte Huck Award
• Sydney Taylor Award, National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature

Sweep is one of the more intelligent, as well as beautifully written, middle chapter books I've come across in a long time!

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World Relevance

Sweep is a beautifully wrapped gift about friendship, wonder, grief and healing. It's about perseverance and the nature of the human spirit in the face of cruel circumstances. Although Nan Sparrow says midway through the story, "What's happened to us is who we are," it is clear by the end of the book that how we respond gives the true definition to who we are.

Unfortunately, who we are in the 21st century mirrors much of 19th century Victorian London:
unfathomable poverty, child labor and anti-Semitism were as common then as now.

""Why wouldn't he want you to tell?" she said. "Why keep it a secret from me?"

"I'm not sure it was about you." He gave a tight smile. "I think he was trying to save me."

"By giving you a bag?"

"No, dummy," Toby said.

"By giving me a purpose. From that moment on, I had to stay alive - no matter how bad things got. Because if I died, then there would be no one to keep an eye out for Nan Sparrow."

He looked up at the sky. It was just clear enough to make out the faint glimmer of moonlight.

"That's how it works, doesn't it? We are saved by saving others.""

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Synopsis

Set in the late 19th century, Sweep is the story of Nan Sparrow who is an indentured-child climbing boy hired out to clean chimneys. At 11 years-old -- and a girl -- Nan is growing too big for the job.  One day she gets stuck in a flue and is in dire danger when a competitive apprentice sets a fire below her. She is saved by a small piece of charcoal who grows to be a full-sized Golem named Charlie.

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Learning Connections

Published in 2018, there are few teaching resources specifically for this novel. But unit lessons for specific topics could be created with the following resources.

• The Great Fire of London, 1666
  • The Great Fire of 1666, a Minecraft Experience, Museum of London
  • The Great Fire of London Game, Museum of London
  • The Fire, An Interactive Story, Museum of London
  • The Great Fire of London, Hamilton Trust
• Industrial Revolution, Great Britain
  • The Victorian Technology, Victorian Web -- hundreds of links
  • Famous People of the Industrial Revolution, Biography Online
  • The Industrial Revolution, Changes and Challenges, Core Knowledge Sequence
• Child Labor
  • Child Labor in America, Library of Congress
  • History of Child Labor, History.com
  • Giving Voice to Child Laborers Through Monologues, NCTE ReadWriteThink

Ages: 10 - 15, middle chapter books, 344 pages. In 19th century London, Nan Sparrow is a chimney sweep who creates a golem during an accident.

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