MATCHLESS: A CHRISTMAS STORY by Gregory Maguire, 2009.

I scooped this up and read it very quickly. It's a very short book, complete with illustrations by the author. Basically, it's the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, "The Little Match Girl", retold as only Maguire could do it. His story concerns a poor boy, Frederik, who yearns for a better life for himself and his mother, and discovers how his brief interaction with the little match girl leads him to that better life. Maguire manages to very deftly relate the original story, while intertwining it with his own creation, in the process producing a new little fable of inspiration and hope. Originally written for and read aloud on NPR, this will likely become another Christmas classic.