Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

Nan Sparrow sweeps out chimneys in London. The year is 1875, and ever since her caretaker, Sweep, disappeared, she has been an indentured servant for a cruel man who puts children to work with no regard for their safety. In a terrifying and mystical turn of events, a lump of char from her pocket comes to life and saves Nan from death in a chimney. From that point on, Charlie, who is actually a golem, and Nan, become an inseparable pair, even though Nan learns that for a golem there will be no good end. Like many classic children's books, this is a story of deep love and friendship, sacrifice, and saying goodbye. The historical facts about chimney sweeps, child labor, and Judaism, are seamlessly woven in, and readers will empathize with the sweeps and be horrified that middle and upper class people so easily watched the children suffer and even die to keep their houses from catching fire. I loved the history and the mysteries that are woven in, but mostly I loved the bond between Nan and Charlie, which you find out in a touching author's note was inspired by E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. I was entranced by this book and recommend it to readers of all ages--not just young people. It is a gem.

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson

I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about John Snow and his discovery that cholera was a water-borne disease, and now I know a lot. The story is set in London in 1854, and the main character is an orphan boy named Eel who is struggling to survive and support his little brother. Eel learns that people in his neighborhood are dying from the deadly disease that they call the "blue death." The theory of the day is that the disease is caused by "miasma," which meant it was carried in the foul-smelling air of London. Eel runs to alert Dr. John Snow, hoping that he could help save a man who was dying of the disease. John Snow doesn't help the sick man, but he does tell Eel that he thinks the disease, called cholera, is spread through contaminated water from the nearby Broad Street Pump. Dr. Snow hires Eel to help him prove his theory by interviewing neighbors and mapping the spread of the disease. It was obvious that the author incorporated a lot of historical facts into the story, but it never overwhelmed the story for me. I enjoyed the story and what I learned from it. This would be a perfect tie-in for a middle school science class. Recommended for 4th-6th grade readers.