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The Little Match Girl

From Andersen's Fairy Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen published 'The Little Match Girl' in 1845. It is one of his best-known and most sombre tales, grounded in the urban poverty of nineteenth-century Europe. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story is worth a senior reader's time because it holds two readings in tension: a tale of spiritual consolation and a sharp social critique. Andersen does not resolve that tension; he leaves it to the reader.

Band: Red · Complex language and analysisTypical starting range: ages 15–17
Length: long · about 1028 words in 5 sections · 2 pictures
Source: Andersen's Fairy Tales, H. C. Andersen
First published: see the About page in the reader
Regions: Canada · United States

Included formats

· Web reader and PDF
· EPUB for e-readers
· Home-print sheet
· Folded booklet
· Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
· Worksheet
· Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
· Read-aloud script
· Teacher’s Edition (members)

Lesson at a glance

Reading: about 8 minutes at this band
Pause questions: 1
Words to Know: 12
Quick Check: 10 questions, with the answer key
Let’s Talk: 1 question for afterwards
Worksheet: questions, an activity and a drawing prompt

About 35 minutes with one story, all of it.

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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