Awards and Honors2020 Silver Birch Award Fiction Nominee
2019 YouPer Award Honor
2019 E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Finalist, Middle Reader
2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner, Older Readers
2019 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Winner
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - 2019
2018 National Jewish Book Award Finalist, Children's Literature Publishers Weekly Best Books - 2018
NYPL Best Books for Kids - 2018 Horn Book Fanfare - 2018
When eleven-year-old chimney climber Nan Sparrow gets caught in a fire, she is saved by a mysterious creature born from the piece of coal she keeps in her pocket.
Title alpha Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
Category Middle Grade Fiction Plus
Pages Count 368
Genre Fiction
Topics Golems. Chimney sweeps. Homeless persons. Orphans. Nineteenth-century history of Great Britain. Child labor. Poverty. Fantasy and magic. Friendship.
SRC Level 3.500000
SRC Points 15.000000
Lexile 630L
Trim Size 8 1/6" x 5 1/2"
JLG Span Fall
Language English
Rights type Print
Publication date 2018-09-24
JLG Release Date Dec 2018
Minimum grade 5
Maximum grade 7
Reading level Elementary, Middle
Format Print
Middle Grade Fiction Plus (Grades 5-7)
Middle Grade Fiction Plus
Middle Grade Fiction Plus (Grades 5-7)
For Grades 5-7
This collection features fiction titles selected for upper elementary and early middle school readers who are ready for engaging, well-crafted stories that reflect their everyday lives and interests. Selections span contemporary and realistic fiction, as well as approachable genre titles, offering accessible narratives with emotional depth, humor, and heart—designed to encourage independent reading and sustained engagement.