Emma Carroll is a multi-award-winning author with a background as an English teacher. Her stories are often magical and always led by a cast of impressive female characters. "It didn't seem fair to me that the match girl dies in the end," she says of the original fairy tale. "So I decided to write my own version, where she has a name, a loving family, and her own hopes and dreams." Emma Carroll lives with her husband and two terriers in the Somerset hills of England.
Lauren Child has authored and illustrated many picture books, including
The New Small Person,
Absolutely One Thing, and
A Dog with Nice Ears, as well as the Charlie and Lola, Ruby Redfort, and Clarice Bean series. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. She says
The Little Match Girl Strikes Back "beautifully merges fairy tale with fact, delivering a piece of history that has real resonance for us today." Lauren Child lives in London.