Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

Mah, Adeline Yen. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. Print.

Ye Xian is a young girl growing up in Shanghai, China during the Japanese invasion in the 1940s.  Her home life is a bit shaky, given her dad kicks her out of the house at the beginning of the story.  On the way to her aunt's, she stops to watch some very talented martial arts performers doing acrobatic and magic tricks and is completely mesmerized by the entire experience.  She later finds out that they are a part of the the Secret Dragon Society, lead by a woman they call Grandmother Wu.  She joins this group and we follow Ye Xian, also known as Chinese Cinderella, on her journey to learn martial arts and the history of the Secret Dragon Society.  She finds comfort and hospitality in this group and becomes an integral part of their future mission to save Americans held hostage by the Japanese.  This story is an exciting, historical tale that was very enjoyable to read.

This novel was very intriguing and fast paced.  I was really surprised as to how much I liked it because from the cover it didn't seem to interest me much.  But this is an instance where I certainly should not judge a book by its cover.  Both boys and girls would find this novel interesting, as the protagonist is a female but at the same time martial arts is a huge factor of the story.  What I found most engaging is that the story is historically accurate and references a conflict that is not discussed frequently and in-depth in the lessons of WWII.  There are various lessons I can think of immediately that can be captivating and memorable in the classroom which really showcases the teachability of the book.  The novel was an easy-read, with not very difficult vocabulary besides the Chinese phrases (which there is a glossary in the back of the book).  I would recommend this book for a 6th-7th grade classroom.