I took rachelmanija to the enormous Half-Price Books this weekend, and threw a book into her basket that sounded exactly like both her and you: Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cinderella-Secret-Dragon-Society/dp/0060567368/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212504003&sr=8-3). It appears to be a much-fictionalized sort=of retelling of the author's memoirs of growing up in China, Chinese Cinderella (http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cinderella-Story-Unwanted-Daughter/dp/0440228654/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212504003&sr=8-1), that involves joining a secret martial-arts society and going on a secret mission to rescue some American airmen being held prisoner. XD