Nan is a remarkable heroine who is witty, intelligent and caring. The same goes for the Sweep, who filled Nan’s early years with care and love. Without Charlie, the golem, this book would have been too hard and cold to bear. He blends his fantastic golem into this world, adding a fantasy element to a world that desperately needs some magic to brighten it. He peels away the charming veneer though and shows us the brutality of child labor, the dangers and the cruelty of chimney sweeping in particular. I loved the London that Auxier has created for us with all of its Victorian charms. They build a family with one another until the time comes for Nan to stand up for chimney sweeps throughout London. Nan and her creature live together away from everyone since they all think she died in the fire. As she burns alive, Nan is rescued by a mysterious creature, a tiny char she has been carrying in her pocket that was left behind for her by the Sweep, a magical man who cared for her as a baby and child until he disappeared. Even skilled Nan can get stuck and one day that happens to her and the chimney is set ablaze. The work they do is dangerous with possible falls, and tight spaces where children can get trapped. She works for a brute of a master who pits her against the other top sweep, dangling an apprenticeship in front of them both. Nan Sparrow is one of the only girls working in London as a chimney sweep and she’s one of the best that ever climbed a chimney.
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