“Frog and Toad on rooftops.”

Now that I have your attention . . .

The funny thing about the children’s book author Jonathan Auxier (you may remember him from his Peter Nimble stories, or perhaps from his deliciously creepy The Night Gardener) is that I knew him personally before he was a writer for kids. Back then he was friends with my husband, Matt Bird, and the two would discuss movies and screenplays and storytelling as a whole for hours upon hours. Jonathan, however, always had a fascination with the art of telling tales for kids and his talent and enthusiasm has paid off tenfold. It is therefore with the greatest of pleasure that I present to you his latest middle grade novel Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster. Here’s a description of the book from the publisher’s website:

“Meet Nan Sparrow. She’s a 10-year-old orphan who works as a “climbing boy,” the term given to children who risked their lives to assist chimney sweeps in 19th-century England. Nan learned the ins and outs of chimney sweeping at her father’s side, but he has “disappeared,” and though Nan’s work is brutal and dangerous, she holds out hope for her father’s eventual return.

When Nan’s most treasured possessions end up in a fireplace, she unwittingly creates a golem made up of all her favorite things. She names him Charlie, and the two become fast friends. Together, they make their home in an abandoned attic. But one of Charlie’s “ingredients” is a twelve-month calendar, and the clock is ticking. Will Nan have to say goodbye to her only companion and come to terms with the fact that her father might never be coming home?

By one of today’s most powerful storytellers, Sweep is a novel about the everlasting gifts of friendship and hope.”

But wait! There’s more! Before I show you the cover in full, why don’t we hear Jonathan himself explain about the book and what it means to him:

In case you didn’t catch it before, his website is www.TheScop.com.

And finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Behold! The jacket!

Awesome.

Thanks to Jonathan for the reveal and to Jenny and the folks at Abrams for the reveal.