Welcome to Pippington, where motor cars bump down old city lanes, carpets can fly, and magic is a secret proper young ladies keep.

One fateful night, a child named Adeline lies alone in the snow. Fading into sleep, her only warmth comes from her matches and the embers of her hidden magic. As she succumbs to the cold of death, she is saved by Rompell, a stranger from a land of deserts and magic with secrets of his own.

Their lives intertwined, Rompell and Adeline become father and daughter. As Adeline becomes an elegant young woman, she fights to control and hide her growing magic in a world full of handsome young men, fine dresses, and her own grand romance.

When an enemy arises from the shadows of Rompell's past, with ancient spells and dangerous magic, Rompell and Adeline risk losing all they have built together. As Rompell fights to protect his daughter, it may be Adeline who must risk revealing her powers and losing true love to save her father.

The Matchgirl and the Magician is the third book in The Pippington Tales and mixes Hans Christian Anderson's Little Matchgirl, Rumplestiltskin, the legend of King Midas, and the magic of the Arabian Nights.