Sweep: the Story of a Girl and her Monster (Governor General's Literary Award) Ages 8+

Winner: Governor General's Literary Award 

A brand-new novel by one of today's most powerful storytellers, Sweep is a heart-rending adventure about the everlasting gifts of friendship and hope.

For nearly a century, Victorian London relied on "climbing boys"--orphans owned by chimney sweeps--to clean flues and protect homes from fire. The work was hard, thankless and brutally dangerous. Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is quite possibly the best climber who ever lived--and a girl. With her wits and will, she's managed to beat the deadly odds time and time again.
     But when Nan gets stuck in a deadly chimney fire, she fears her time has come. Instead, she wakes to find herself in an abandoned attic. And she is not alone. Huddled in the corner is a mysterious creature--a golem--made from ash and coal. This is the creature that saved her from the fire.
     Sweep is the story of a girl and her monster. Together, these two outcasts carve out a life together--saving one another in the process.

JONATHAN AUXIER teaches creative writing and children's literature. He is the author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, which was a Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Honour Book and was also shortlisted for the Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy and the Diamond Willow Award. His second book, The Night Gardener, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award, the Silver Birch Award and the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award. His third book, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, received four starred reviews and was shortlisted for the Sunburst Fantasy Award in Canada. Auxier grew up near Vancouver and now lives in Pittsburgh with his family.
www.thescop.com Social: @jonathanauxier