Mah, Adeline Yen. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society. New York:
HarperCollins, 2005. Print.
Shanghai, China.
1940s. One little girl, Ye Xian, is ignored by her father and is hated by her
stepmother. After being kicked out of her family’s house, Ye Xian is taken in
by an older woman (Grandmother Wu) who teaches kung fu. Ye Xian, known also as Chinese Cinderella (CC for short),
befriends three orphan boys who are also under the guidance of Grandmother Wu.
Little does CC know that Grandmother Wu and her new friends are part of the
Chinese Resistance. The goal of the Secret Dragon Society: regain Chinese
independence and defeat the Japanese invaders. Suddenly, CC is swept into the
world of the Secret Dragon Society and begins plans to rescue American pilots,
Japanese prisoners.
This book was a
very fast read. When I first heard the title, I was expecting another
Cinderella story. I was rather happy that this story focused more on the
Chinese culture and history rather than the “rags to riches, find your Prince
Charming” story. I think that this book is highly teachable. Even though the
chapters are short, they are really engaging for both boys and girls. Boys would love the kung fu and planes; girls would easily connect with CC. You could
discuss the history of Chinese-Japanese relations as well as Chinese
spirituality and the significance of kung
fu. You could discuss realism compared with fairy tales. The beginning of
the story follows the fairy tale of Cinderella and has elements of the
supernatural (ex. a dolphin pulling the Resistance boat out of reach of the
Japanese). It would be a great way to discuss when and why to use realism as
opposed to fairy tales. I really recommend this book for 7th and 8th
grade students. 
No comments:
Post a Comment