Chinese Cinderella is an autobiographical novel for younger readers about the childhood of Adeline Yen Mah. She grew up in China in the 40's and 50's, a time of great political change in China, with the rise to power of Mao Zedong and the Communist Party. Adeline's birth mother died shortly after Adeline was born, and she grew up with the guilt of having caused her mother's death. Shortly after, her father remarried and Adeline gained a step-mother and two step-siblings. Being the youngest of the original children, Adeline was treated miserably by her parents and often also by her siblings and step-siblings. She found refuge in her Aunt Baba and grandparents, who lived with them, but the refuge was short-lived as Adeline gets sent away to boarding schools. The story follows Adeline's struggle against her parents' treatment and neglect to find value in herself.
The book is written as an autobiographical account, and contains many Chinese words and headings, which add to the rich multiculturalism of the book. It is a very sad story at times and you really feel for the young girl during her unfair mistreatment by her family. Themes that are important to the book are the value of tradition and filial piety over doing what you think is right. The main resolution rests in finding value in yourself even though others treat you as worthless, and fighting against adversity to succeed. It contains no inappropriate content.
I would definitely recommend this book for the middle school level. It is the right reading level to provide a challenge, not too hard nor too easy. The story is very engaging and interesting. Although it takes place in China over 50 years ago, I think readers will be able to connect with the story because it is a very empathetic book. The time and place would offer a good point of background study for learning about China's culture and history. I think the book would be both enjoyable and informative, a great choice for the middle school.
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