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, The Soot Golem is a novel about the everlasting gifts of friendship and hope.