Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter (Wishbones) is a non-fiction book by Chinese-Canadian physician and author Adeline Yen Mah describing her experiences growing up in China. First published in 1999, Chinese Cinderella is a revised version of part of her 1997 autobiography, Falling Leaves, presented as a narrative in the style of a fictional novel. Her mother died after giving birth to her (of blood loss) and she is known to her family as the worst luck ever. Her father remarries a woman who stays at home and looks after the children for a living while treating Adeline and her step-siblings harshly and spoiling her own children with many luxurious things.[1] An extract of this book is also part of the anthology of Edexcel English Language IGCSE new specification.
The first novel in the Chinese Cinderella series, it was followed by The Secret Dragon Society (2004) and The Mystery of the Song Dynasty Painting (2009).
