Customer Reviews

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ye Xian is a twelve-year-old girl living in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, China during World War II. She loves spending time with Big Aunt because she teaches her English and is much kinder to Ye Xian than her father's new wife. Ye Xian loves to go by her English name Chinese Cinderella or CC.

When CC's stepmother takes her abuse too far, CC runs away and finds refuge with a group of za zhong, or unwanted "mixed-caste" children. They invite CC to join their Secret Dragon Society and help them save China from the hands of the occupying Japanese soldiers. Mah's inspiration for this book came from the kung fu novels she liked to read as a child, real historical details about the war and from her own memories of living in China during Japan's occupation. American fighter pilots landed in China after bombing Tokyo and portions of their real letters home are featured in the book.

The action never quite picks up enough so that the book feels like a real adventure story. The author's introduction and historical notes will help explain to readers the set-up of the story, and will help them understand a part of World War II they may have been unaware of. Fans of Mah's autobiographical Chinese Cinderella memoirs may not be as interested in this fictional tale.

The setting is China, but the story is universal. It is about love of family. The importance of loyalty and bravery. The heroine in the book is written beautifully. Everything about her is realistic and you feel her pain, lonliness, her longing. The story is also very exciting and the book leaps along. Not a boring moment in it. Highly recommended for all ages.

When Chinese Cinderella is thrown out of her house, she finds herself in the deadly streets of Shanghai during World War Two.She becomes a member of a small resistance, that help the American during war.Join CC, David, Sam and Marat with the help of Grandma Wu, as they fight for survival in the war.Helping innocent prisoners escape from jail and stopping the Japanese from evil.This is the sad tale of an unwanted child who has much promise.This book is all that i wanted it to be and to tell the truth i was truly satisfied.Read this book and you will learn all about life in different areas in China and the truth of religion, how no religion is better than another.But what you will always remember how these four unwanted children chanted this very sentence: The future belongs to us! and it didn't it?

I read Chinese Cinderella 2 years ago when I was 15 and until this day, it is still my favourite book. I've read many books but Chinese Cinderella is definitely the most prominent for it's depth. Adeline Yen Mah is a superb writer whose look on life is reflected in her work. Chinese Cinderella is a fantastic cultural piece which knocks down the boundaries of the stereotypical "caucasian" Cinderella. A book definitely worth reading regardless of how old you are. It evokes so much emotion that once you are finished you want to go back and read it all over again. Fantastic!

Adeline, you have done a wonderful job!
This is one of the most moving books I have ever read. I was crying when I got to the bit where she was thrown out of the house.
This is a very wonderfully written novel.
It had funny parts and sad parts. You have taken me into the story and I felt as if I was actully CC.
Thank you for writing this fantastic story.
I hope there will be a sequel to this book.

I read the book cover to cover over one weekend and couldn't put it down. I loved CHINESE CINDERELLA and was happy to see that Mah's irrepressible heroine, CC, is back in action. I learned so much about the struggles of the Chinese people during World War II and was so encouraged by the spirit, resourcefulness and open mindedness of her characters. Her books go a long way towards educating others about Chinese culture and promoting tolerance and acceptance among human beings. Publishers Weekly loved the book giving it a starred review and saying: "This gripping tale based on a true event meshes action and suspense with Eastern philosophy to create a provocative and educational read. CC emerges as a noble, compassionate heroine who finds a path to happiness by helping others." I couldn't agree more.
Rose a reader in NYC

I am writing this review as a mother who has observed how much this book has meant to my daughter who has been struggling with typical middle school issues all year long. This book has quickly become her favorite book (and I am ordering her others in the series). She recommended it to her teacher, who wisely has added it to the class's reading list for the year's end.

I often teach different versions of Cinderella to my college students, and you can see how the tale, the most popular in the world, is designed to empower young women at the point in their lives when they are struggling to be independent but also feel vulnerable. Meh Yah seems to have found a way to re-write a version of this versatile tale to serve this healing function in today's multi-cultural society.

This is a good story. However, I purchased it for a unit on Cinderella type stories for my second grade class. The book is too advanced for them. I would recommend it for teens and adults. Advanced 4th and 5th grade students can also enjoy it.

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society is about a girl named Ye Xian who is called CC (Chinese Cinderella) as an english name. One day she gets kicked out of her house by her dad after she gets in a fight with her step mother. Since her aunt has left town for a while, she has no family and no place to stay untill she remembers an acrobat she saw the day before who gave her a card and told her to go to that place if she ever needed help. She finds the lady she saw with the acrobats and tells her her whole story, then she finds out that this lady named Grandma Wu knows her aunt. Grandma Wu takes CC back to her boarding house and gives her a place to stay, along with three other boys who also live there. The boys names are David, Marat, and Sam. Just like CC they are also homeless childern, with no place to go. Soon after she moves in with them she watches David defeat one of Shanghai`s best fighters using KungFu. CC is amazed by his preformance and wants to learn how do fight like David. Living at this house with David, Marat, Sam, and Grandma Wu makes CC feel better than she ever has before and enjoys it very much. After shes been at the `KungFu Academy` for a month Grandma Wu decides she is ready to make the choice of being in their Secret Dragon Society or not. CC accepts and it isn`t long before their first secret mission starts. Thier mission is helping the American fighter pilots refuel safely after bombing Tokyo. After something goes wrong they are forced to crash land on an island, where CC, the three boys, and Grandma Wu are waiting for them. The Americans become friends with the children and are very grateful for their help in rescuing them. Since the island is in Japanese occupied territory, they have to help the injured crew get safely off the island. Many things go wrong but in the end they succeed, by getting the americans of the island in a junk boat.