Sweep

Nan Sparrow is an orphan and a chimney sweep.  She spent her early years in the protection of the Sweep.  He kept her safe, taught her the trade, and told her magical tales to fill her head even when her belly was empty.  When the Sweep disappears leaving her with nothing but a warm piece of char, Nan apprentices with Wilkie Crudd, known for his good looks and his slightly less than horrible treatment of his apprentices.

One day she nearly dies after getting stuck in a chimney.  Instead of the afterlife, she awakes to find the char has come to life.  The char has become Charlie, a golem brought to life by fire and built from ash and coal.

Nan knows she must hide Charlie from the world and herself from Wilkie Crudd.  Everyone thinks she's dead anyway, so she and Charlie begin a new life in hiding where she continues to work on her own and try to gain as much information about Charlie as she can.

Nan feels protective of Charlie, but the more she learns about golems and their purpose, the more she fears their time together will be short lived.

I really enjoyed Jonathan Auxier's new novel.  It's set in a Dickensian world with a touch of magic and depicts some of the real-life horrors visited on the poor children of Victorian London.  It's not an easy read, though, and probably not for every kid.  I think it would appeal most to 4th-6th graders with advanced reading comprehension.