Chinese+Cinderella

//[[image:chinese_cinderella.jpg]] Chinese Cinderella// by Adeline Mah
"Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive." Even though Mama died two weeks after the birth from a fever, this brutal message dooms Wu Mei (Fifth Younger Sister) throughout her sad and lonely childhood in China during the 1940s and 1950s. Wu Mei, whose English name is Adeline, faces the anger and cruelty of her family; only an aunt and frail grandfather are supportive. Shunted off to boarding schools, left out of family activities, Adeline nevertheless thrives academically and hopes desperately (and futily) to please her father. In this young adult version of the author's //Falling Leaves//, Mah offers a bittersweet look into the pain of childhood and a fascinating glimpse at a tumultuous time in China. (from Booklist)