MMGM--The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

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Unleashing Readers

Carroll, Emma and Child, Lauren (illus.) The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

September 12, 2023 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I'm not sure how many of my students will know Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl story, but this book makes me want to trot out all of the Aesop, Andersen, and other Classic tales that my students really should know and probably don't. Andersen's influence is vastly underrated, and even if my students know the tale, they probably think it is a folk tale and not the work of a specific writer. 

If you're familiar with Child's Ruby Redford books, the format of this reimaging will not be surprising. The font is very large, and the illustrations and words work together to create a very distinctive visual experience. I really want to see a physical copy of this to get a better feel for the overall presentation. 

The retelling is fairy straight forward, with some notable changes. The Match Girl gets a name (Bridie Sweeney), a family (mam, who works in a match factory, and younger brother Fergal), and more purpose and power than in the original, giving this a more modern feel and a social justice perspective. Bridie knows her family works hard, and doesn't think it fair that Mr. Bryant, the factory owner, can profit off the misery of others. After a disastrous episode where Bridie is almost run over by a carriage, her stock is ruined, her borrowed slippers lost, and much of her hope gone. She has long touted her matches as a magical way to see the future, and when she lights one herself, out of desperation, she is transported into the vision of a better life for herself. When her mother also runs into problems, getting fired when her production is down because she is ill from exposure to the phosphorus used in making the matches, Bridie wants to take action. She's run into Annie Besant in a shop and also in one of her visions, and the young activist is appalled by the conditions of the working poor. Along with the other workers, a strike takes place, and Bridie is encouraged that others care enough to help out her mother and her associates to hold on until progress is made. Based on real events, and with notes and pictures about the history of a similar strike in the 1880s, The Little Match Girl Strikes Back is an intriguing look at history, poverty and personal empowerment. 

Frequent readers know that my favorite horrible historical event is the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, so it isn't a surprise that I found this fascinating. It often felt a little too modern, which will be an asset for readers who are younger than the t shirt I am currently wearing, and the illustrations will definitely improve the appeal. This will take some handselling, but I think I can get a lot of mileage out of the book, and it's a great springboard to some other topics.