Shannon's Library

LET’S GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK!

Nan is a young orphan girl who works as a chimney sweep. It’s hard and dangerous work. One day she finds herself stuck in a chimney. As fire rages, she is miraculously rescued by a mythical creature – a golem. And so, begins the story of friendship between a girl and her monster. This is an endearing story of love that all ages will enjoy. I highly recommend it! Continue reading below for my full review and please leave a comment to let me know how you enjoyed this sweet novel!

Shannon’s Rating — PG

---

LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK!

“If you have never climbed inside a chimney, perhaps you are wondering what it’s like.  Imagine holding an open book.  Maybe you are holding one right now?  Imagine a black tunnel exactly that size – an endless, winding tunnel with no light at the end. Imagine that the walls of the tunnel are sharp enough to cut your skin bloody.  Imagine some of the walls will crush you if you touch them wrong.  Imagine some of the walls are on fire. Now imagine placing a cloth over your head. Take a deep breath, if you still can. And crawl inside.”

“Sweep,” by Jonathan Auxier, is a new addition to my library. A few weeks ago, I was visiting some friends and we started talking about books.  Their 12-year-old daughter, Annabelle, got really excited to tell me about one of her favorite books.  She ran into her room and brought out, “Sweep.” For the next 10 minutes or so she was super animated, nearly jumping out of her chair, telling me how much she loved this book!  There’s nothing I love more than seeing people SO passionate about a book they have loved and SO excited to tell others about it! Of course, I went right home and ordered myself a copy of, “Sweep.”  How could I not after such a recommendation? I’m happy to report that I, too, loved this endearing book!

I would describe “Sweep,” as a cross between a fairytale and “Newsies.” It’s about a young chimney sweep named, Nan.  When orphaned at a young age she’s forced to work for a heartless chimney sweep master named, Wilkie Crudd.  Through her determination and grit she manages to survive, when many children aren’t so fortunate. One day while cleaning out a chimney she finds herself stuck. As fire threatens to consume her, she is rescued by a mysterious creature made from soot – a golem. And so begins the friendship between a girl and her monster.  Together they must survive while being hunted by Wilkie Crudd and hatch a daring plan to help all the young chimney sweeps in the city.

In case you’re wondering what a golem is, like I was, it’s a creature derived from Jewish folklore. Stories are told of mystical rabbis who could create life out of dust or clay. These creatures would often save Jewish communities from persecution or death. Other times a golem was created just for one specific person.  This type of golem was known as a “bespoke man,” or a one-of-a-kind creature made for just one person.  This is the type of golem in, “Sweep.”  The golem is created just for Nan, and it is there to help and protect her.

When Nan was a child, she believed in magic and fairytales but she became hardened over time as she fought to survive alone in a harsh world.  But finding her golem changed everything.

“The Sweep had raised Nan to believe in impossible things.  He had told her countless stories of genies and dragons and witches and fairies.  He had made her believe that a thousand wonders were waiting around every corner.  But she had learned through hard experience that those stories were not the real world.  The real world offered no miracles.  No, ‘once upon a time.’ No, ‘happily ever after.’  And yet, here in this dusty crawl space, she held a miracle in her hands.  A miracle with eyes and a heartbeat and a crumbly gray body.”

The friendship between Nan and her golem is my favorite part of this story.  I’m a sucker for sweet relationships between characters and this book certainly exceeded my expectations in that department! I also loved Nan’s friend, Toby. At one point during the story, Toby helps Nan realize a beautiful truth about life. He says, “That’s how it works, doesn’t it? We are saved by saving others.” This is a major theme throughout the book, and I think it’s an amazing concept to include in a middle-grade novel. We save ourselves by saving others! How wonderful would the world be if we all learned this concept as children?? Nan learns this truth through her friends, her teacher, her father, and of course, through her golem. And now, I really want a clay golem figure for my library to stand next to this book! Anyone know someone who can make me one?!?