What’s Ms. Hayward Reading?

I just finished a really good book called Girl Squads: 20 Famous Friendships That Changed History  by Canadian writer, Sam Maggs and illustrated by Jenn Woodall.  A perfect read to kick of Women’s History Month.  In Girl Squads, Maggs tells of female friends who played pivotal roles in history in sports, politics, sciences, and the arts.  Did you know about Sharon and Shirley Firth, Canadian indigenous twin sisters who broke down barriers in skiing and competed in the Olympics? Or have you heard about Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two of the most infamous pirates?  Have you heard of the Haneyeo, the Korean divers carrying on a centuries old tradition (some well into their 90s)?  Maggs tells us all about them in a book that is both funny and fascinating.

I am currently reading Sweep: A Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier.  The publisher, Penguin Random House Canada describes the book as:

A brand-new novel by one of today’s most powerful storytellers, Sweep is a heart-rending adventure about the everlasting gifts of friendship and hope.

For nearly a century, Victorian London relied on “climbing boys”–orphans owned by chimney sweeps–to clean flues and protect homes from fire. The work was hard, thankless and brutally dangerous. Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is quite possibly the best climber who ever lived–and a girl. With her wits and will, she’s managed to beat the deadly odds time and time again. 
     But when Nan gets stuck in a deadly chimney fire, she fears her time has come. Instead, she wakes to find herself in an abandoned attic. And she is not alone. Huddled in the corner is a mysterious creature–a golem–made from ash and coal. This is the creature that saved her from the fire. 
     Sweep is the story of a girl and her monster. Together, these two outcasts carve out a life together–saving one another in the process. (Ages 8+)

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/567116/sweep-the-story-of-a-girl-and-her-monster-by-jonathan-auxier/9780735264359

So far it’s a great story and I really don’t want to have to put it down (but, sadly, I am not allowed to read all day).

What are you reading this March Break?