Auxier ( The Night Gardener, 2014, etc.) turns his imaginative whimsy and lyrical prose to a real historical horror while never gratuitous, he does not shy away from the appalling conditions under which children labor, nor does he ignore the sacrifices and struggle to abolish the practice. Alas, Victorian London, however magical, is not kind to “climbing boys” of any gender-nor to monsters, nor to any of the odd lot of outcasts that Nan befriends. After her fiery near death lets her escape her abusive master’s control, this “char” awakens into a protective golem she names Charlie.
A young chimney sweep gathers an unusual family around her in this bittersweet historical fantasy of love and loss.Įleven-year-old Nan Sparrow’s only legacies from the Sweep, her beloved mentor, are his hat and a strange lump of charcoal.
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