 |
Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: The Little Match Girl Strikes Back
Author: Emma Carroll Illustrator: Lauren Child
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year: 2022 Good for Grades: 3-8 Genre/Type of Book: Historical fiction, fantasy, magic
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: No Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: The title made me laugh- the little match girl was striking back!? I loved the word play! I also liked the illustrations as I flipped through the book, especially the ones where the text takes the form of an illustration.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: "It wasn't just matches that were magic: I realized that people, working together for a purpose, could also achieve magical, magnificent things." -Bridie, page 175
|
Review:
This book is a reimagining of the classic tale of The Little Match Girl, with a feminist slant that I loved. It incorporates social reform and does a great job blending a fairy tale with factual information, namely, the protest that shaped London's history. Because it is not simply a fairy tale retelling, it opens up many ways to use this book in classes, whether in an ELA class, a SS class studying social reform, or European history. It is a quicker read so I can see it being a great read aloud too, when there isn't a lot of time to invest in a read aloud. Bridie Sweeney's story begins on New Year's Eve in 1887, in Victorian London. It feels like we will run into Charles Dickens wandering the streets of London at any moment. Bridie scoffs at the fairy tale about the little match girl and says that maybe poor match girls don't want people feeling sorry for them, and all they want is a fair chance at a decent life and to one day tell their own stories, from their own mouths. She also lets us know that the street sellers in London's East End outnumber the rats, which is no small feat. And she doesn't sell matches, she sells hope, comfort and possibilities, because dwelling on life's unfairness doesn't sell matches.
London is home is to the very richest with Queen Victoria living right down the road from Bridie, to the very poorest. "It didn't seem right that some people should have so much and some of us so little," Bridie says on page 66, and you might say the same about the United States in 2024. The book addresses huge profits made by companies off the worker's backs, poorly paid employees, health risks on the job, poor working conditions- you might be confused which time period you are reading about.
It is not all doom and gloom and there are magical parts to the book. Bridie finds three magical matches that grant her wishes. Through her wishes she realizes that extreme wealth is not all it seems to be. Her third and final wish is to see her family have a better life and that leads Bridie to encourage the women who make the matches strike. "With such brave women beside me, anything, suddenly, felt possible," Bridie says on page 166. It takes some time to reach a settlement and another decade before the match factory makes changes to switch from the harmful white phosphorus to red phosphorus.
The illustrations in this book are done in black, white, and red and add to the story with purposeful use of color. I love how the splashes of red were used whether for Bride's hair or the flames from the matches- it was very effective. On some pages the text and illustrations become one. I liked the table of contents and chapter names at the beginning of the book. At the end of the book there is a Note from the Author, giving further information about the time period, including the Bryant & May match company. There is a Note from the Illustrator with photographs relating to the living conditions at the time.
Mostly, I loved the story with the feminist slant to it and the different ways this book can be used in classrooms. Bridie realizes she has the power to change her own future, and that's an important message. The book lends itself to discussions about reform, corporate greed, importance of unions and striking and standing together. And that message isn't just for 1888.
Number of party hats:
Find this video and other resources for The Little Match Girl Strikes Back at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website