EMMA HORNBY - The Chimney Sweep’s Sister

Jenny and her little brother Noah are orphans, living hand to mouth in a cellar dwelling in the heart of the Manchester slums.

At the tender age of nine, Noah is a chimney sweep's boy: a dangerous job, where he's wickedly mistreated. But they survive on his earnings, for which his older sister Jenny feels terrible guilt. It's only her fiery temper that's prevented her keeping down a job herself. With her brother's safety - his life - on the line, Jenny resolves to try and control herself, and put her talent for singing to good use. Can she earn a crust by entertaining the punters at the taverns and inns around town?

It seems like a dream come true when she catches the attention of a music hall manager and is offered a spot on a bigger stage, along with an enviable wage. But there's a darker bargain to be struck in return for their new riches . . .

How far will Jenny go to protect her brother, and will they ever find the security they crave?