| Title | : | Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0060567368 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780060567361 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 |
| Publication | : | First published August 4, 2004 |
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.After enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, Chinese Cinderella (CC) seeks refuge at a martial-arts school and joins a secret dragon society.
Under the guidance of Grandma Wu, CC 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 WWII American airmen, they prove that true bravery knows no age barrier.
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society Reviews
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"Even though you have suffered much, there's always someone who has suffered more."
Love the writing, the characters and the themes discussed. I appreciate how from the very beginning of the story things have been explained well. But I still wish the beginning was a bit longer and elaborated.
The beginning is like a sequel like some story already happened in some other book and the beginning is just a rushed up summary of what happened in that book.
I appreciate the parts where cruelty towards animals have been brought up and discussed; the Chinese culture and tradition; acceptance and positivity; found family and more amazing adventure that CC experienced and the bird messengers (duh!).
I wanted more elaborate King fu talk or the practice. I wanted more of character development, especially the main character's. And I do feel the historical background of China (duh, the Japanese, the British) has been rushed up and not explored much. If mentioned, I need to know why such topics have been brought up for the story.
And for middle grade books, I really do not like the idea of forced ideas about "independence" used so casually now and then. How is an expert in Kung Fu bring this "independence"? Seems quite inappropriate. Well, that's another might-be controversial topic. I just didn't like the tone of this.
Trigger warnings for domestic violence, strong language, child abuse and neglect, abandonment, police brutality, racism and discrimination.
Just one thing. It's the plot that's everywhere. I want a clear story on what the characters are after. It's more like more preaching and less action.
I wish the society be a little more convincing, have a central role which has a better stronger role in shaping the characters. There's just more focus on nitpicks. I did feel that the entire time ever since 30 percent until the end.
I want to conclude that the cover and the title seem quite misleading. It would be better as a little girl and her other found family sharing their stories. That's it.
I did expect the story to be about something related to Cinderella's story and I would have the dark academia plot. But there's just more blah blah blah let's do this and let's share our sad stories. That's. It.
Do not expect too much when you pick up this book. And yes, again, the title. Disappointing. -
First, after reading
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by
Adeline Yen Mah , I decided to watch the movie "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" as, in the author's note, I found that she used to read her writings, about the "The Ruptured Duck", to her closest friend in primary school. Her novella is inspired from the movie. I wanted to live the exact feelings of her friend as if I just watched the movie in cinemas and now ready to listen to her tales of
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society: By the Author of Chinese Cinderella!
Second, this book was written from Adeline memories of her childhood made up stories and tales she wrote for her friend. It targets kids and so you may find it quite childish. However, it is probably beneficial to know about war crimes and how everyone was deliberately pushed into this massacre through such an ironic and adventurous tale.
I loved The Secret Dragon Society and it really raised up my enthusiasm to get to learn a brutal sport such as kung fu. I believe I need to learn more about the Chinese history, and here is some starters to begin with, enjoy:
What makes the Great Wall of China so extraordinary - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen
The incredible history of China's terracotta warriors - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen
The history of tea - Shunan Teng
Who was Confucius? - Bryan W. Van Norden
The myth behind the Chinese zodiac - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen
2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius: World History #7
And now to watching the World War 2 Apocalypse Documentary:
Apocalypse World War 2 [HD] Episodes 1-6 -
In Chinese Cinderella: the True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter, Adeline Yen Mah told the story of her life growing up in Shanghai, China during the 1940s as the daughter of a prosperous father and a cruel stepmother. In Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society, she has taken the same story and turned it into an exciting fantasy novel.
Ye Xian, nicknamed Chinese Cinderella or CC, is 12 when her father throws her out of the house for being disrespectful to her stepmother. She befriends three boys who live with their kung fu teacher, Grandma Wu, at the Martial Arts Academy. David is half American, half Chinese and a Christian; Sam is half German, half Chinese and Jewish; Marat is half Russian, Japanese and Muslim; Grandma Wu is Chinese and a Buddhist. The boys are orphans, very proficient in kung fu, and belong to The Dragon Society, a branch of the Shaolin Association of Wandering Knights, dedicated to helping the oppressed and downtrodden.
Pretty soon, CC has also joined them and becomes quite skillful at kung fu and wishes to join the society. China has been occupied by the Japanese since 1937 and it is now 1942. One night, Grandma Wu and her son, Master Wu, gather the children together and explain a secret plan to help American flyers who are planning to bomb Japan. They soon travel to southeast China, but the plan goes awry and the group end up rescuing 5 Americans who crash land on the Chinese island of Nan Tian. Now, they must get the badly injured Americans to mainland China where they can get medical help, but the sea around the island are patrolled by Japanese soldiers.
They finally do manage to board a sail boat called a Junk, but soon they are pursued by a Japanese gunboat. It looks like they will all be caught when the breeze dies down and the Junk comes to a standstill. But they are saved by Ling Ling, a dolphin that had been befriended and trained by David and her dolphin cousin Bumby.
Back in Shanghai, CC, whose family thinks she has been living with her beloved Big Aunt, is advised to move back home because her stepmother is threatening to accuse her aunt of kidnapping. But living at home doesn’t last long. When CC receives a package from Big Aunt, who has been temporarily living on Nan Tian Island, which incriminates both of them in the rescue of the Americans, her stepmother implies she is going to permanently end CC relationship with her aunt.
CC runs away to Grandma Wu, but they receive very bad news about a violent Japanese attack in Nan Tian, including the death of Big Aunt. CC naturally suspects her stepmother of having a hand in this unusually cruel behavior. At the same time, she comes up with a plan to rescue other Americans being held prisoner by the Japanese at Bridge House in Shanghai, the same prison Marat’s older brother is a prisoner. Can yet another exciting escape succeed?
I thought this was a very interesting tense story, full of adventure, though sometimes the writing was a little too pedantic. Nevertheless, Yen Mah writes compassionately about these children who are considered to be outcasts by society. The tone of the whole story is one of hope and resourcefulness even in the face of brutality, oppression and vindictiveness – by the Japanese occupiers and for CC, also by her stepmother. In the face of all that, friendship, overcoming, and even acceptance become important themes throughout the story.
Through CC’s initiation into The Dragon Society, Yen Mah is able to weave extensive explanations about important Chinese culture and beliefs into the story. At the heart of The Secret Dragon Society is the philosophy of Taoism, including the life force Qi (pronounced Chee), the Yi Jing (or I Ching), the concepts of yin yang, the principles of strength, power and control embedded in kung fu and the Chinese Zodiac. Sometimes this gets complicated. For instance, when CC is told to consult the Yi Jing by casting the yarrow sticks before joining the society, I was totally lost. I found the writing confusing here, though it did peak my interest in the Yi Jing and I will probably get more information on it. I am afraid younger readers might just skip over these parts, but hopefully not be discouraged from finishing CCs story.
The central story, the rescue of the Americans, is based on a true event. In April 1942, Jimmy Doolittle actually did lead a bombing raid on Japan, but the outcome was very different than the one in Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society.
This book is a historical novel and so there is a Historical Note at the end of the book, which I would recommend reading first. It gives a brief history of the author’s family and the Japanese occupation of China and the true events surrounding the bombing of Japan and its cruel aftermath unleashed by the Japanese against the Chinese. In that way, the reader knows what is factual and what has been fabricated by the author.
Despite some of the problems with this novel, I would still highly recommend it. Personally, I think it would be more beneficial for this novel to be read under the guidance of a teacher, given some of the content. There is an extensive teaching guide available on Adeline Yen Mah’s website that would be very useful for that. And it might be interesting to read this fantasy novel in tandem with its biographical counterpart, Chinese Cinderella: the True Story of an Unwanted Daughter.
This book is recommended for readers age 10-14.
This book was purchased for my personal library.
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society was read as part of The Summer 2011 Diversify Your Reading Challenge -
Yet another review by yours truly! So here's the story: I went to the library to pick up a few books, like I usually do, and I saw this amazing beauty on the shelf. I just love the cover. It has a dragon people! A dragon! Do you know how much I bloody love dragons? (It's one of the main reasons I love Eon but Allison Goodman so much!) Anyway, when I saw that cover and read what it was about, I just had to take it home with me. I mean, it's about a girl who is treated harshly by her stepmother whilst being thrown into what the Chinese went through during WWII with some fantasy elements mixed in. How could I resist? However, I was disappointed once I started to read it. As a historical book about the war, it's an amazing read. Buy as a fantasy book with a Cinderella twist, it was sorely lacking. There really isn't much to the plot and the characters are bland as hell. I was hoping to get a lot more out of it... too bad I didn't.
Adeline Yen Mah's writing style was very simple. Almost juvenile. I'm not too big of a fan on her writing style. I thought, given the subject matter, it should have been a bit more complex. Although, considering this is meant more for children than it is for, say, a historian, I do not fault her for writing this book so simply. The historical facts are written clearly and to the point. No one will be able to overlook something because of it. And trust me, I did enjoy those aspects of the book. Now, for the parts of the story I thought Mah could have improved on. The fantasy parts. Where's the fantasy? There were only two scenes that had some kind of fantasy twist to it and even then, it is very hard to see it. If Mah's main goal was to let people know how the Chinese suffered during the time of WWII then she should had written a book solely on that. But no. She wanted to write a "fantasy novel that included a lot of realism." ...do you even know the meaning of "fantasy?" Oh well, I'm just being picky. Another thing should could improve on were her characters. I'll explain why below.
They. All. Had. The. Same. Personality. I'm not even kidding. There were no distinctions between the behavioral patterns or how they talked. Every single one of them was so boring I had to force myself to keep my eyes open. Besides having one trait that made them stick out from the others (one was great in martial arts, another was very smart, etc.), they all acted the same... as if Mah didn't know how to change her characters personality. Not even Ye Xian(or CC), our protagonist, had anything remarkable about her. (The only thing that made her awesome was when she bit her stepmother... was that a spoiler?) Speaking of stepmother, she's the only other character that had a different personality but that's because she is supposed to be overly bitchy. I didn't like her... What can I say? I was not a fan of the plot of CC being abused by both her stepmother and father and the characters being all the same with the exception of one. Come on, Mah! You could have done better in that aspect!
I can't really talk much more about the book. It's very short and I fear I might let something slip if I keep going. As I've said, it's a decent book. If you are looking for a book that shows the Chinese side of things during the war then pick this book up. It will not disappoint you then. However, if you are looking for a fantastical adventure that incorporates the story of Cinderella and WWII, then you're are going to be disappointed. I know I was. Then, you must be wondering why I gave it a three? Well, it's great with the historical facts, you get to picture China in your mind, and I just love Marat (he's one of the few characters I loved in this book on account of the fact he knew a whole bunch of languages)! And we all know how much I love languages. (I may be a little biased towards his character... XP) Anyway, if you're curious, go ahead and pick this book up! But I advise to get it from the library first then purchase it if you really like it. Well, that's all from me today! See you soon with my next review! ^_^ -
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society written by a well loved author Adeline Yen Mah is a tale of a twelve-year-old girl living in Shanghai in the time of Japan invasion. Its a brilliantly written book with history making historical events. Most of the events based in this story are true which makes it so heart breaking to read because knowing that these happened to people, well tears you apart.
CC or Chinese Cinderella (her Chinese name is Ye Xian) 'ran away' from home because her Niang (step-mother) was being mean and over controlling to her and the he thing is her dad doesn't really care. So CC lives with her Big Aunt (a wonderful lady). Her Big Aunt had to go to Nan Tian to look after her god mother leaving CC. So CC is forced to go and stay with her father and Niang until her Big Aunt comes back. But things turn worse at home. Her Niang slaps her for being disobedient and in defence CC bit her. That made CC father throw her out of home. With no where to go she goes to the place on the card (a boy gave her the card), the place promises a place for refuge for people like her. CC goes there and by fate she meets Grandma Wu who actually knows Big Aunt. There the story characters widen. You meet Marat a muslim, David a Christian and Sam a Jewish. They all have a painful past of their own and their all a part of the Secret Dragon Society. When CC joins the society her life changes dramatically. -
This book was really fun to read because the plot(the whole thing) was just magnificent. The time period of the story was during the time of world war II, where the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor. It was about a girl named Chinese Cinderella, CC for short, who goes to the Dragon Society, which are the people who help the Chinese in times of need. My favorite part of the book was when CC fought against her stepmother for her rights. I really liked that part because CC's stepmother was a complete freak who wanted to control CC, so her fighting allowed me to understand her true nature, a person who fights for her beliefs and that makes the book even better as it goes on because I would be able to make predictions based on CC's character. The fight was also one of the many amazing action and suspenseful scenes because I kept wandering, " what is CC going to do now?" The best quality I like about his story though, is that it kind of teaches me what the Chinese went through in the war.The book was realistic and historical fiction and was truly worth my time. Therefore I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
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Started of as a fun light read, but I feel it covered the really dark aspects of the war really well. It didn't shy away from the absolute cruelty of the invading Japanese, but also kept the elements of belonging and found family, and how war corrupts all and there is no true evil.
Hearing about the story it was based on was quite sad, because in reality the American POWs never did escape the prison.
I think it's a 3 1/2 for me, but I bumped it up to 4. -
"Ye Xian dijuluki Chinese Cinderella oleh Bibi Sulung. Dari inisial julukan itulah Ye Xian mendapat nama baratnya, CC. Karena bertengkar dengan ibu tirinya, CC diusir dari rumahnya dan bergabung dengan kelompok Long Xia Hui. Di kelompok itu, dia bersahabat dengan Sam, Marat dan David yang merupakan anak2 blasteran. Mereka mendapatkan tugas untuk menyelamatkan pilot2 Amerika dari kekejaman tentara Jepang..."
Cerita ini ditulis Adeline Yen Mah berdasarkan kejadian nyata yang terjadi di Cina pada Perang Dunia II. Adeline menulis cerita ini saat masih di bangku SD untuk mengusir kesepian. Adeline dengan lugas menuliskan perasaannya yang sedih dan kesepian melalui tokoh CC. Waktu gw baca buku ini, gw merasakan ketegangan bagaimana CC dan kawan2 mencoba menyelamatkan para pilot Amerika dari patroli Jepang. Gw juga merasakan kesedihan CC karena diperlakukan buruk oleh ibu tirinya dan ayahnya tidak bisa berbuat apa2. Bisa dibilang, Adeline menempatkan dirinya sebagai CC.
Melalui buku ini, kita bisa mendapatkan pesan mengenai kekejaman perang, persahabatan, dan juga kasih sayang keluarga. -
-~*THIS BOOK WAS SUCCESSFUL IN MAKING ME CRY*~-
I first read this book in my last year of Primary School but I still find it to be engaging and inspiring at the same time as being heart wrenching.
It is the tale of twelve-year-old Ye Xian (Chinese Cinderella) who was living in Shanghai at the time of the Japanese invasion. The novel is an updated exciting fictional and fantastical version of Adeline Yen Mah's childhood story from when she was growing up (Chinese Cinderella: the True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter). In the story CC's father finds her a new 'Niang; a stepmother who she struggles to get along with. The stepmother is nasty and cruel yet CC is thrown out of her own home as her father doesn't understand.
She stumbles upon 'The Secret Dragon Society' where she takes refuge with Grandma Wu from the dangerous streets of Shanghai.
The story is wonderfully written and is different to the type of books which I read between the ages of 10 and 15. However, this difference is not one which is off putting at all making it a definite recommendation of mine.
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This book had a rather weak start, but I found it went better as I went along. Some parts were a bit cheesy and unbelievable and the author explained Chinese philosophy to the point that I felt like I'd been proselytized. In the author's defense, this is JF and she was probably trying to give the reader enough background knowledge to follow the story.
It's a quick read, engaging once I got past the beginning and once I made it halfway, I found it hard to put down. This book takes place during WWII and is about a fictionalized group known as the Secret Dragon Society resisting the Japanese occupation. I like that the author treated the few Japanese characters who appear in the book as individuals. She also included historical notes, letting the reader know which parts of the book really happened and which were fiction. -
This is a World War 2 story that takes place in China and follows an 11-year-old girl from a wealthy family who is living an awful life due to her cruel stepmother. Through sheer chance she meets this secret group of kung fu freedom fighters and finally feels like she fits in but things are far from safe. Japan is invading China and searching for American soldiers as well as anyone helping them.
So I liked some parts of this story but didn't care for other parts. I guess I find it hard to believe that a bunch of 11-year-old kids can be heroes and save lives during China's occupation by Japan. Or that they can think up plans that actually work to help American soldiers. It's a bit much to accept. Then there was all the spy stuff in here. I really don't like spy stories very much...and there was a lot of spy stuff in the second half. Even codes and under cover work sneaking about here and there... I think it was supposed to be exciting but I didn't find it exciting at all? I was just thinking "ok, enough with the spy stuff".
The parts I did enjoy were the personal moments or the special moments. The tea ceremony that spoke about mindfulness: I just loved that! In fact I loved that so much I took photos of the two pages and sent them to my yoga teacher as she is always talking about mindfulness too! Another scene I loved was the bit about the Japanese soldier in the woods with the panda. It reminds us that many soldiers are just ordinary people who were forced into the service by their government and they don't really want to kill anyone...this one was apparently a scientist and was awed by seeing a live panda. There is also a scene with a dolphin too but the panda was definitely better.
I can certainly relate to CC, the main character. She is badly mistreated by her awful stepmother which is how she gets the nickname of Chinese Cinderella... And she certainly feels like an outcast too. In fact most of the main children characters in here are outcasts who finally feel at home with each other.
But...
I have mixed feelings about this Dragon society that takes them in and makes them (offers them the opportunity) to make a lifelong vow to this group. They are taught meditation and kung fu and a huge host of skills (and given a home as well) but is a child of just 11 really capable of making such a decision? Even most teenagers don't know what they want. Or who they love. So how can a child make such a huge life changing vow, especially one that risks their lives? And since these offers come at a time when these kids are homeless, well, isn't that praying on them in a weakened state when they are more likely to say yes? I guess the reader is not supposed to think about this sort of stuff but then I am generally more insightful about stuff so of course I think about this. And I have doubts about how right this is...
I did find the story very interesting. It is quite the adventure story with action, dangerous moments and it tells us what life was like in China in 1942. I did find the one scene near the end hard to believe, one involving some American soldiers. Most WW2 stories are set in Europe so it's good to see what was going on in China.
Still this was a bit more gloomy and a harder read than I had expected. -
A little rushed in places, but a well written YA novel that approached a heavy topic in an engaging way. Adventurous and immersive.
3.75 stars. -
I decided to read this book because it fits into one of the categorys on the bingo board. This book fits into the category a book that teaches you about another culture other than your own. This category is interesting because you learn about other peoples life styles and how they live. My favourite quote from this quote is “Please believe that one single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities.” Something new i learned from this book is no matter how much you might dislike someone you'll miss then once their gone. A character i ound interesting was Aunty Baba because she loved all her neices by didn't always try to mke life better for them.
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This fictional book presents another possible ending to the Chinese Cinderella story of Adeline Yen Mah's life. CC has a distant father, a "niang" (Chinese for mama, but really her father's live-in girlfriend), and an adoring aunt. After her niang tries to kill her, her father throws her out because she defends herself. Left on the street, CC luckily runs into some new friends, members of the Dragon Society, and she begins a new life with a purpose. The author weaves this story during World War II and the Japanese occupation of Shanghai on the eve of the Doolittle raid. A good story, but it is unlikely to find an audience with children unless it is boooktalked.
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Inspired by the stories the budding writer Adeline Yen Mah used to write as a child, this book, ‘Chinese Cinderella And The Secret Dragon Society’ is a fantasy novel, for children, based off the stories she used to write as a child as well as the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.
This book is the second title I have read by Adeline Yen Mah and though it is not biographical, there are elements that I recognized from her autobiography, Chinese Cinderella....
Read the rest of the review here:
http://metalrizon.wordpress.com/2013/... -
This was an enjoyable book - that has some awesome words of wisdom from Grandma Wu. My favourite part is when Grandma Wu and CC are doing the tea ceremony and the whole cockroach thing is very wise in my opinion. It was clever the way Adeline Yen ma intertwined real history with fiction and I definitely learnt some new stuff about Chinese history and culture (I found the Chinese zodiac thing interesting). I have always been interested in Japan, but I guess China is close enough and I am fascinated with Asia. I would recommend this book to anyone really, it's a good read.
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I find that this is a lovely read. great for youngsters around the age 10 to 15.
what I like about this book is that it's full of patriotism. Teaching youngsters not to be racist and work together no matter the race and gender.
one down side that I feel no so right is the mention of Marat making pork dumpling. in this story , he is a muslim. it is universal knowledge that muslim doesn't take pork . it's a sentive subject here.
overall I like the story here. I wonder what will happen to CC after this. -
After enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, Chinese Cinderella seeks refuge at a martial-arts school and joins a secret dragon society. Under the guidance of Grandma Wu, she is introduced to the exciting world of espionage as a part of the Chinese Resistance movement. And when she and her comrades take on a daring mission to rescue a crew of WWII American airmen, they prove that true bravery knows no age barrier. Based on a real historical event during WWII.
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This was suggested to my by my daughter. It was really an amazing story of courage and grit set in China just after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. There were a lot of take-aways from this story about compassion, unity, and strength in adversity. It's a real gem that I would never have experienced had it not been for my older child. Oh, did I also mention that it's a kung fu book with a female main character? Yeah. It is.
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I love the idea of friendship based on fate yet misfortune.
I love the relationship CC has with her big Aunt and her 3 brothers, I love the character CC in total as she likes to read and is independent and stands for what she wants... just like me
I enjoyed reading her adventures with her new family and witnessing her accomplishments she achieved without Niang.
I am looking forward to reading 'Chinese Cinderella the secret story of an Unwanted Daughter' -
I read this book 2 years ago and I only remember some parts of it. The one big thing I remember is that after finishing this book, I cried a lot! I'm serious. It was such a good book!
Even though the title of it sounds strange and not interesting, I highly recommend that you read this book! -
When Chinese Cinderella is thrown out of her home by her cruel stepmother onto the dangerous streets of Shangai, she takes refuge with Grandma Wu in her Martial Arts Academy.There she becomes part of a whole new family, making friends with three remarkable acrobats and learning kung fu.
