Set during World War II, a young Chinese girl made homeless by her evil stepmother begins a new life as a martial-artist and spy, joining the Chinese resistance movement to work against the occupying Japanese and free her people from their vicious reign. - (Baker & Taylor)
During the Japanese occupation of parts of China, twelve-year-old Ye Xian is thrown out of her father's and stepmother's home, joins a martial arts group, and tries to help her aunt and the Americans in their struggle against the Japanese invaders. Includes historical notes.During the Japanese occupation of parts of China, twelve-year-old Ye Xian is thrown out of her home, and tries to help her aunt and the Americans in their struggle against the Japanese invaders. - (Baker & Taylor)
The future belongs to you.
Should anyone insult you, tell yourself this: I am a child of destiny who will unite East and West and change the world.
Born into a family of wealth and privilege in 1940s Shanghai, Chinese Cinderella (CC) is sheltered from the harsh brutalities of the Japanese invasion in China. But after enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, CC seeks refuge at a martial-arts school and joins a secret dragon society. There, under the guidance of Grandma Wu, she trains with a trio of orphaned acrobats and is introduced to the exciting world of espionage as a part of the Chinese Resistance movement. And when CC and her new comrades take on a daring mission to rescue a crew of American airmen, they prove that true bravery knows no age barrier.
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society is a compelling blend of martial-arts adventure and historical fiction. With honesty and compassion, New York Times best-selling author Adeline Yen Mah has written a triumphant novel reminding us that children can overcome tragic circumstances and create their destiny.
- (
HARPERCOLL)
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society
By Adeline MahHarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright ©2006 Adeline Mah
All right reserved.ISBN: 0060567341
Chapter One
The Boy Acrobats
It was a sunny afternoon in early spring when I set off after school to Big Aunt's place for my daily English lesson. I was thinking of a kung fu novel I was reading about a warrior monk with an iron hand as I hopped off the tram near the Du Mei Gardens, opposite my aunt's apartment.
The sounds of a bamboo flute drifted on the air with the heady fragrance of lilac blossoms, and suddenly I saw three boys, wearing colorful satin costumes with matching caps of red, blue and green, rounding a rhododendron bush into the park. I knew Big Aunt would worry if I was late, but I couldn't resist following them.
A large crowd was milling around the music pavilion, and an elderly woman signaled to the boys to hurry. Soon they were twisting, jumping and performing somersaults, all under the direction of the woman. The crowd gasped as one of the boys . . .
Continues...
Excerpted from Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Societyby Adeline Mah Copyright ©2006 by Adeline Mah. Excerpted by permission.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews
After writing two memoirs about her childhood in China, suffering abuse from a cruel stepmother, Mah (Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter) writes an equally riveting novel set in 1942, featuring a young heroine from Shanghai with a background similar to her own. Unlike the author, however, 12-year-old narrator CC manages to escape her painful home life with a neglectful father and his tyrannical girlfriend by running away. She joins the secret Dragon Society, an academy devoted to "helping those who have suffered unjustly and have nobody to turn to." Under the guidance of kind "Grandma" Wu, a woman filled with pearls of wisdom, CC learns martial arts as well as the philosophy of kung fu. She also develops a strong camaraderie with three boys-also unwanted or orphaned children-who live at the academy. As Japan's occupation of China becomes increasingly treacherous, the Dragon Society prepares for a dangerous mission to save a group of American pilots from being captured by Japanese soldiers. For the first time since joining the academy, CC's courage and quick-wittedness are tested. 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. Ages 10-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 5-8-In this work of historical make-believe set during World War II, 12-year-old CC's father throws her out of the house after she has a bitter argument with her stepmother, a woman familiar to readers of Mah's Chinese Cinderella (Delacorte, 1999). Fortunately she is taken in by a resourceful woman known as Grandma Wu, an operative of the Secret Dragon Society. At Grandma Wu's she meets three boys of mixed backgrounds and of different religions, and together they learn many useful skills-kung fu and cooking among them. Soon she becomes a full-fledged member of the society, a lifelong commitment made just in time. Japan has occupied Shanghai and is at war with the United States. When the Americans plan a bombing raid on Japan, the children are instrumental in passing vital information to them. They rescue some downed pilots and later plan a daring prison escape. Full of adventure and contrivance, this somewhat old-fashioned, plot-driven novel is clear about the values that are important to the author. When one of the rescued pilots declares his intent to become a missionary and convert the Japanese to Christianity, for example, the children engage him in a thoughtful discussion about the universality of people's belief systems and their right to believe as they wish. These young people are courageous, creative, and open-minded. They often chant, "We are here to make a difference. We are children of destiny." Is there any doubt that these characters will be back with more daring adventures?-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews
Mah shared her difficult childhood in her memoirs, Falling Leaves: Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter (John Wiley & Sons, 1998/VOYA April 1999), and Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter (Delacorte, 1999/VOYA December 1999). Her newest title, a fiction companion to those earlier autobiographies, introduces the reader to Ye Xian, a twelve-year-old girl living in World War II China during the Japanese occupation. After quarreling with her wicked stepmother and emotionally distant father, Ye Xian is banned from the family home. Encouraged by her beloved aunt, Ye Xian joins a diverse group of bilingual, biracial street performers who are secret members of the Dragon Society for Wandering Knights. The group's mission is to help the Allies defeat the Japanese, and CC, Ye Xian's English nickname for Chinese Cinderella, is soon involved in a dangerous plot to rescue American flyers who crashed during Jimmy Doolittle's air attack on Japan Although it is implausible that teens would be included in top secret missions to save American soldiers, it is easy to suspend disbelief as CC's group evades the Japanese and risks their lives to save the prisoners. Sprinkling in some discussion about the art of kung fu, Chinese astrology, and philosophy renders the story even more readable. Mah creates a vivid picture of what life was like for the Chinese during this period. She includes maps, a foreword explaining why the novel was written, a short glossary of Chinese words and sayings, a historical note that delineates fact from fiction, and a brief bibliography for further reading. Younger adventure readers as well as those interested in history and cultures will find this selection engrossing. The cover will attract browsers along with those already familiar with Chinese Cinderella.-Judy Sasges. PLB $16.89. ISBN 0-06-056735-X. Glossary. Maps. Further Reading. 4Q 3P M J Copyright 2005 Voya Reviews.