Download an ebook copy of Chinese Cinderella here.
Themes from Chinese Cinderella
Family Love: Sometimes families can be kind, but other times they can be hurtful. Adeline’s family isn’t always nice to her.
Staying Strong: Even though Adeline faces tough times, she stays strong and keeps going.
Feeling Alone: Adeline often feels lonely because her family doesn’t treat her well.
Believing in Yourself: Adeline learns to believe in herself, even if her family doesn’t see her as special.
Siblings and Family: Adeline’s relationship with her brothers and sisters is tricky because of how their parents treat them.
Overcoming Problems: Adeline faces lots of challenges, but she works hard to overcome them.
These themes show how Adeline learns to stay hopeful and strong even when things are difficult.
Here’s a dot point summary of the characters in Chinese Cinderella
Adeline Yen Mah (the narrator): The main character and author of the story. She is a smart, kind girl who faces many challenges growing up in a difficult family environment.
Father: Adeline’s father is very strict and harsh, often showing favoritism toward his son and treating Adeline unfairly.
Mother: Adeline’s mother is distant and not very supportive, leaving Adeline to fend for herself most of the time.
Big Brother (Jacky): Adeline’s older brother, who is spoiled by their father and often bullies her.
Second Brother (Little Brother): Adeline’s second brother, who is kind and more understanding than the others in the family.
Aunt Baba: Adeline’s supportive and loving aunt, who stands by her during tough times and is one of the few people who shows her care and affection.
Ye Ye (Grandfather): Adeline’s grandfather, who treats her with kindness and respect, unlike her father.
Third Brother (Frank): Adeline’s other brother who is not as involved in her struggles but has a somewhat easier relationship with their father.
Fourth Brother (James): Adeline’s youngest brother, who is also favored by their father and sometimes behaves as though he doesn’t see the difficulties Adeline faces.
Empress Dowager: A historical figure mentioned in the story as part of Adeline’s cultural background, symbolizing strength and tradition.
These characters help show Adeline’s difficult family life and her journey of resilience and strength.
Chinese Cinderella Book Trailer
Interviewing famous Chinese author, Adeline Yen Mah, for Channel Four Children's Television show, First Edition.
Raised in a desperately poor village during the height of China's Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin's childhood revolved around the commune, his family and Chairman Mao's Little Red Book.
Until, that is, Madame Mao's cultural delegates came in search of young peasants to study ballet at the academy in Beijing and he was thrust into a completely unfamiliar world.
When a trip to Texas as part of a rare cultural exchange opened his eyes to life and love beyond China's borders, he defected to the United States in an extraordinary and dramatic tale of Cold War intrigue.
Told in his own distinctive voice, this is Li's inspirational story of how he came to be Mao's last dancer, and one of the world's greatest ballet dancers.
Sometimes it's good to be wild.
Sometimes you have to be wild.
When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of the war, the Wolf family must flee. Liesl, Otto and their baby sister Mia find themselves lost and alone, in a blizzard, in the middle of a war zone. Liesl has promised Mama that she will keep her brother and sister safe.
But sometimes, to survive, you have to do bad things. Dangerous things. Wild things.
Sometimes to survive, you must become a wolf.
1970s Afghanistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what would happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to an Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.
Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank, with her parents and sister and four other people, went into hiding in the sealed-off back rooms of an Amsterdam office building in 1942, when the Nazi invaders intensified their persecution of Jews.
For two years they remained safe. In August 1944 they were betrayed, Anne died in the ghastly concentration camp at Belsen. All the others perished too, except her father.
Anne's astonishingly intimate diary was found by accident. With a touch of genius it records the strains of her unusual life, the problems of her unfolding womanhood, her falling in love, her unswerving faith in her religion. And it reveals the shining nobility of her spirit.
Now known and loved the world over through State, Screen and TV adaptations or in translation, this touchingly human document remains timeless in its appeal
I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.
Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate