Here is another book review by our 12 year old daughter! Sweep was a book I hadn’t heard of before, but was recommended by trusted sources, as well as had great book reviews. So we included it on the MHM booklist, but I personally never had a chance to read it. I was so happy that our daughter flew through the book, and really enjoyed it! This would be a wonderful read for middle schoolers!
Book review
Sweep is a great book for kids of all ages. This story includes friendship, loyalty, and the importance of family. This book is about a girl, Nan Sparrow, and her monster, Charlie, who was made from coal. Even though Charlie is Nan’s monster, everyone can see him. Nan is careful to who she shows Charlie to because she doesn’t want to attract attention or have people being afraid of Charlie. However, once people got to know him, they knew Charlie was a kind and caring monster. Charlie is also Nan’s ‘protecter’ throughout the entire book.
Nan sweeps chimneys for a man named Wilkie Crudd. Mr. Crudd was unkind to Nan, so Nan wanted to leave. Nan soon runs away with Charlie to make money for herself. She continues to sweep, but she works by herself and not for anyone else. Nan and Charlie, both outcasts, have to make their own way. They protect each other and care for one another.
I enjoyed this book because it shows how much we would sacrifice for someone we love. It shows the depths we would go to so we could protect and care for them. My favorite part in this book was when Nan created a protest for all the kids who were sweeps (kids who sweep chimneys). It is my favorite part because on the signs she makes, she has all the names of the kids who died from getting stuck or falling down from chimneys while sweeping them. It was hard for her to do this because people were mad. They didn’t want her protesting because they just wanted the work done and they didn’t want to know that children were dying. But she didn’t let this bother her because she knew it was the right thing to do. It shows how much Nan cared for all of the kids and how kind and brave she was to have the protest because people might hate or even hurt her.
I would also say that this book has many lessons such as how you have to be brave and do what is right even if it’s hard. It also has the lesson of making sacrifices for those you love and care for. This book overall is wholesome, good, and pure. This is a great book for kids of all ages. It is a happy, fun, and adventurous story that I would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy fiction books.