Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

CHINESE CINDERELLA AND THE SECRET DRAGON SOCIETY: Adeline Yen Mah: HarperCollins Publishers: Young Adult: 242 pgs.

During World War II’s Japanese occupation of China’s coastal lands, Ye Xian is suffering from an abusive family when her father throws her out of the house. She finds refuge with the secret Dragon Society of Wandering Knights where she begins to train in the art of kung fu and hopes to join her few new-found friends. Soon she and the rest of the society members are making plans to help rescue American heroes who have crashed after bombing Japan and bringing renewed hope to China.

While a couple of scenes have some interesting action, most of this book is poorly done. It is written more for a children’s audience. The storytelling aspect is terrible and often has a preachy feel to it. This was especially disappointing since the book was written by the author of the New York Times Best-seller Falling Leaves. Younger children might find the historical aspects, children protagonists, and Chinese elements, and fantasy action intriguing—but older audiences will likely not find much to enjoy about the book overall.

HMT