The Little Match Girl Strikes Back by Emma Carroll and Lauren Child

What worked:

The author artfully crafts a setting in the streets of Victorian England sometime during the late 1800’s. Bridie Sweeney must deal with wet underclothes and nibbling rats at night and she wears her mother’s tattered slippers into the streets. She hawks boxes of Lucifer matches in the mud and slush hoping to make enough money for a decent supper and a warm fire for her mother and little brother. Her mother works in the match factory where she dips the tips of matches into a toxic liquid, inhaling poisonous phosphorous fumes all day long. There’s a stark contrast between the poor families sharing a stale loaf of bread and the wealthy citizens dining on roast meats and tea only a few blocks away.

Bridie’s personality and sales pitches are especially entertaining as she uses her imagination and humor to attract customers. She paints pictures of beautiful lands where people can dream and let their worries float away. Bridie’s customers appreciate her enthusiasm and stories and some expect her performance before they’ll purchase the matches. Her energy is needed later in the book when the situation becomes more dire and the oppressed women are in need of inspiration and direction. Bridie refuses to succumb to threats and setbacks as she gets ideas and inspiration from her match dreams.

The author bases this historical fiction on actual events as she gives names and families of people who sacrificed for human rights. The end pages share notes from the author and illustrator about the actual history of Victorian England and the match factory’s squalid conditions and heartless owner. The plot doesn’t end with a happily-ever-after climax because that’s not how reality works. At least this book’s resolution is a little bit happier than the Hans Christian Anderson story it’s based on.

What didn’t work as well:

Because the plot recounts a real story, there aren’t any surprises or twists to spice things up. There are some parts of the book that sound more historical and factual than others. The dream wishes are interesting but they act as motivation for Bridie to take action. The book still presents an important narrative about a transitional moment in England’s history.

The final verdict:

This book will appeal to lovers of historical fiction, especially from England, with the match dreams offering small pieces of fantasy. The original and real conflict between factory workers and the cruel, greedy owner drives the story with Bridie’s character providing a human, emotional connection with readers. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot!