Books and Jams Readalong discussion

Woohoo! You made it.

How did you like this book? What stands out to you? What did you think of the tone/atmosphere of this book? What will you rate this one?

If you read a lot of middle grade, how did you think this compares? If you don't read a lot of middle grade did this one convince you to try some more?

Can't wait to hear what you guys think!

My first middle grade book and THANK YOU Krista for such a beautiful way to start. Loved this book from beginning to end. Comparisons to Oliver Twist in a good way. The love and family throughout the story brought tears to my eyes, all while making you aware of the atrocities the young sweeps had to endure for the comfort of other. Highly highly recommended!

I blew through this book yesterday and absolutely loved it! I can't wait to hear what y'all think about it! I love when a book brings out so many different emotions. There were moments that made me smile and laugh a bit, but also brought me to tears too.

I loved the connections and nods to other works of literature. Naming the 2 sections Innocence and Experience in reference to the two books of poetry by Blake was so perfect. There were nods to Frankenstein and like Kim said, Oliver Twist.

I loved Charlie, but Tom might have been my favorite, besides Nan of course. I loved how he looked out for Nan. He brought some humor, but a ton of heart too. So endearing.

The flashbacks with the Sweep were so heartwarming. I just wanted her to notice the signs of his sickness.

Even Roger broke my heart. I was still so angry with him for luring Charlie away, but that scene where Nan follows him to his parent's house was just so sad.

Gah. I could go on and on with all the things I loved about this book.

Kim wrote: "My first middle grade book and THANK YOU Krista for such a beautiful way to start. Loved this book from beginning to end. Comparisons to Oliver Twist in a good way. The love and family throughout t..."

YES! I forgot to mention that I loved that this was historical in a way too! We really got a good picture of how horrifying it was. I was so frustrated with the crowd at the rally at the end too. Why didn't they protect the kids when the master's all showed up! Ugh. I did really love seeing glimpses of London during this time.

This book was just so touching! The horrific circumstances these children found themselves in were appalling yet not uncommon for the time. I found myself googling chimney sweep history while reading just bc it was so fascinating to me.

Also, I had never really heard of the story behind golems and what they really are, so that whole aspect of the story was another learning point for me.

So many quotable lines in the book. I would be interested to read some more of Auxier's work.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a five star read for me. I found it to be very atmospheric. I loved the relationship between Nan and Charlie. This was one of the best middle grade books I've read all year. I can't wait for the discussion on Instagram, this evening.

I finished later than everyone else but I got it done. I loved this book and the writer's style of writing. I liked the map of London drawn by Nan and Charlie (on the insides of the cover).

Someone mentioned Roger. Yes, his story was heartbreaking. He was so bitter and rightfully so.

I think Charlie was my favorite character. The way he loved Nan and others was so sweet. He became good friends with the little white rat, Prospero, and the robin, Dent. Such a cute part of the book.

Five stars for me. Thanks, Krista. Now I am going to tackle East of Eden.

I liked this book but I don't think as much as everyone else. I am still trying to decide between a 3 or 4 star.

Theresa wrote: "I liked this book but I don't think as much as everyone else. I am still trying to decide between a 3 or 4 star."

I'm curious why you think you didn't love it. Of course that's a valid opinion, but I'm just curious! :)

Krista wrote: "Theresa wrote: "I liked this book but I don't think as much as everyone else. I am still trying to decide between a 3 or 4 star."

I'm curious why you think you didn't love it. Of course that's a v..."

I joined a book group to talk about the books we read, so thanks for asking.

It is probably a mixture of several things. For me to give a book a 5 star rating I have to love it so much I can't stop thinking about it when I put the book down. I did like the book but I wasn't counting the minutes till I had time to read it again.

Another thing is I ask myself if I would read it again. I am not saying that I would never read a 4 star book again but at the time I was not thinking," Wow, I can't wait to read this again."

Then, while reading the book I didn't feel like I was drawn into the story or felt a particular connection to any character. I did like the characters but didn't really feel that something "special". If you look at May B or The war That saved my life, I felt like I was there with them, I hurt when they hurt and I missed them when I was done with the book.

Well, this is probably more than you wanted but that's how I feel. Again, I liked the book, it just was not a 5 star for me. Everyone has different preferences. Isn't that what makes the world an interesting place.