What do you think?
Rate this book
Disney Princess Beginnings / Disney Before the Story
Disney Before the Story: Mulan's Secret Plan
Before Mulan saved China . . . she was a girl ready to learn! Mulan can't wait to start school. She's excited to learn! But when class starts, she realizes that it's not quite what she was expecting. And if she and her friends really want to learn something, they're going to have to do it their own way.
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2020
262 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 8, 2020
What a cute idea for a series... Disney Princesses, Before The Story . Who doesn’t love the Disney princesses. My daughter and I are massive Disney fans and her favourites are the princesses. We loved reading this book about Mulan as a child together and are really looking forward to reading more of these books. Thank you Scholastic for this book to read and to help encourage my daughter to read.
In this story we follow Mulan on her first days of school. She is so excited, being the quizzically minded child that she is. She is ready to learn. But when she gets there she is disappointed to find that school is nothing like she is expecting. She wants to learn like the boys, about things that will challenge her and make her a strong woman. Instead she is learning to cook rice 🍚. So she hatches a plan with her friends to learn the things that truly matter to them. And she learns about the girls and the challenges that they face, everything is not always as it seems.
Who is your favourite Disney Princess?
In this story we follow Mulan on her first days of school. She is so excited, being the quizzically minded child that she is. She is ready to learn. But when she gets there she is disappointed to find that school is nothing like she is expecting. She wants to learn like the boys, about things that will challenge her and make her a strong woman. Instead she is learning to cook rice 🍚. So she hatches a plan with her friends to learn the things that truly matter to them. And she learns about the girls and the challenges that they face, everything is not always as it seems.
Who is your favourite Disney Princess?
May 28, 2025
Not a fan of Mulan normally but I REALLY liked the story here! It was cute and I learned a lot about china’s culture!
May 3, 2021
Years ago a YA author told me that the only difference between good YA and adult fiction is the length of the story. Again and again, I find that to be the case. This book is intended for 5-8 year old kids, but know what? I completely enjoyed it.
Set before the movie takes place, it tells the story of Mulan finally getting to go to school. (Girls in China didn't attend school in this period.) Unfortunately "school" is just classes with the village matchmaker, so they can learn skills to take care of their husbands...
There was actually a plot element that completely surprised me, which so rarely happens in books.
While this book had two things I didn't like, the author can't be faulted for either:
1) It was way too short! It took me just over an hour to read. (But since it was for such young readers, it makes sense it was short.)
2) I'm getting more and more depressed at reading stories about women being second class citizens. Yeah, for a long time girls couldn't go to school at all, but it's still depressing as hell to read about that. Not at all the book's or the author's fault, it just made me really sad.
Those two issues aside, this was a really good book. The writing was great, the inside illustrations really made the story shine. Recommended for adult or child readers.
Set before the movie takes place, it tells the story of Mulan finally getting to go to school. (Girls in China didn't attend school in this period.) Unfortunately "school" is just classes with the village matchmaker, so they can learn skills to take care of their husbands...
There was actually a plot element that completely surprised me, which so rarely happens in books.
While this book had two things I didn't like, the author can't be faulted for either:
1) It was way too short! It took me just over an hour to read. (But since it was for such young readers, it makes sense it was short.)
2) I'm getting more and more depressed at reading stories about women being second class citizens. Yeah, for a long time girls couldn't go to school at all, but it's still depressing as hell to read about that. Not at all the book's or the author's fault, it just made me really sad.
Those two issues aside, this was a really good book. The writing was great, the inside illustrations really made the story shine. Recommended for adult or child readers.
May 13, 2020
Thank you to @scholastic_au for sending me a copy of this one to review. I enjoyed this story of Mulan as a little girl. It was a fun read that younger readers will definitely enjoy. The story flowed well and I loved the sense of friendship conveyed throughout the story. I loved the black and white illustrations throughout the book too. Throughout the story Mulan learns some unexpected lessons when she starts at her new school. She befriends the others in her class and together they teach each other the lessons they are each good at.
August 28, 2023
I loved this story of Mulan as a little girl attending beginning matchmaking classes with her friends. Mulan just wants to be able to go to school and learn like the boys, but is excited about being able to go to class. These classes are not as exciting as Mulan thought that they would be, but Mulan and her friends plan to make the best of it. A cute early elementary chapter book about making friends and learning from one another.
June 29, 2021
"When Mulan was a girl she got ready for school in the morning super early and had to do chores before school. Her parents too care of the mean kids at school who were bullying her by talking to them. And she never got bullied again. You should read this book because it's an example of how to react when you may get bullied someday l." -Cadee, age 9
May 25, 2024
Such a beautiful lesson of working together to teach each other how to be better.
Mulan and several other girls from the village are sent to learn from a matchmaker but she doesn't teach, she just shows them a task and tells them to do it. They figure out pretty quickly they'll have to learn on their own to prove they can do it.
Mulan and several other girls from the village are sent to learn from a matchmaker but she doesn't teach, she just shows them a task and tells them to do it. They figure out pretty quickly they'll have to learn on their own to prove they can do it.
November 8, 2020
Doesn’t matter how old I’m, I’ll always love his little books with the princess stories :,). They are so cute, the stories and the pictures are cute. I love them 💖💖💖💖💖
December 7, 2024
A cute story for little girls and fans of Mulan.
Mulan is excited to learn in school, but she's not going to learn math or martial arts, like in the boys school.
Her and other girls are learning domestic skills from the Matchmaker! Mulan learns an important lesson to talk to someone about their problem, and not about them. Trying to be herself and still bring honor to her family, she comes up with a plan to improve the skills the Matchmaker is teaching.
Mulan is excited to learn in school, but she's not going to learn math or martial arts, like in the boys school.
Her and other girls are learning domestic skills from the Matchmaker! Mulan learns an important lesson to talk to someone about their problem, and not about them. Trying to be herself and still bring honor to her family, she comes up with a plan to improve the skills the Matchmaker is teaching.
February 4, 2022
It’s cute.
I always like to read books or stories before I introduce them to any of the kids just to make sure it’ll be something they’d enjoy or grasp. This Mulan story was pretty cute, the illustrations were nice, and the story was well thought out. I can see your kids liking it if they enjoy Mulan.
I always like to read books or stories before I introduce them to any of the kids just to make sure it’ll be something they’d enjoy or grasp. This Mulan story was pretty cute, the illustrations were nice, and the story was well thought out. I can see your kids liking it if they enjoy Mulan.
December 20, 2025
I enjoyed this story where Mulan has lessons from a matchmaker with other young girls but they are not taught any skills just expected to do each required skill. However Mulan has a plan to help her and her classmates learn the skills by teaching each other what they are good at before the matchmakers competition.
July 21, 2020
Daughter (7 years old) gives it 5 stars. We really like reading this series together.
October 12, 2020
Cute story about a period in Mulan's childhood, when she attended school - but not the kind of school that she thought she'd be attending! I really enjoyed it - especially her secret plan.
February 2, 2023
My kids loved it. Wish there was more action like the movie. And more pictures for the kiddos
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
Cute Quick Read
Cute quick read that follows the story line of Mulan. This is placed when she is younger and new characters are introduced as friends!
Cute quick read that follows the story line of Mulan. This is placed when she is younger and new characters are introduced as friends!
September 24, 2023
Historically inaccurate, but that's ok.
Good color illustrations. Brief prequel to the Disney movie Mulan. Mulan and five girls are training to be wives and mothers.
Good color illustrations. Brief prequel to the Disney movie Mulan. Mulan and five girls are training to be wives and mothers.
August 21, 2024
Cute story. I listened to it with my little girls. Great message about working together.
May 9, 2020
Mulan’s Secret Plan is such a sweet book, filled with friendship to the brim. I absolutely loved this peek at young Mulan’s life, living with her Mum and Grandmother and beloved pooch Little Brother, helping her family tend to the household whilst they anxiously awaited Mulan’s Father’s return from the War.
When Mulan learns she’s going to start attending School, she’s so eager! I absolutely adored her enthusiasm and excitement at getting to learn writing and mathematics, though when Mulan and her closest friend Na find what’s actually in store for them is lessons from a stern Matchmaker, who essentially pitches the girls against one another in various tasks such as weaving silk, making the perfect rice and applying make up, all tasks which done perfectly, supposedly will ensure that the girls find a suitable partner, bringing honour to their families. This aspect of the story definitely had me thinking about young girls’ lives, who bore that expectation of not being schooled in the traditional sense like their male counterparts, but expected to follow the womanly roles in the family.
Friendship was such an important aspect in this book, not just between Mulan and Na, but the other three girls that Mulan and her friend are schooling with! Whilst the Matchmaker would essentially discourage the girls from learning together, let alone teaching them first, Mulan realises that the girls all have a common goal: they want to do the best they can to bring honour to their families, she plots an idea where the girls share their knowledge with one another and work together to excel in these tasks! Mulan’s Secret Plan was just such a cute, fun and endearing read and at 126 pages with perfectly adorable illustrations throughout, I finished this in one sitting! I definitely recommend this to fans of Disney of any age!
When Mulan learns she’s going to start attending School, she’s so eager! I absolutely adored her enthusiasm and excitement at getting to learn writing and mathematics, though when Mulan and her closest friend Na find what’s actually in store for them is lessons from a stern Matchmaker, who essentially pitches the girls against one another in various tasks such as weaving silk, making the perfect rice and applying make up, all tasks which done perfectly, supposedly will ensure that the girls find a suitable partner, bringing honour to their families. This aspect of the story definitely had me thinking about young girls’ lives, who bore that expectation of not being schooled in the traditional sense like their male counterparts, but expected to follow the womanly roles in the family.
Friendship was such an important aspect in this book, not just between Mulan and Na, but the other three girls that Mulan and her friend are schooling with! Whilst the Matchmaker would essentially discourage the girls from learning together, let alone teaching them first, Mulan realises that the girls all have a common goal: they want to do the best they can to bring honour to their families, she plots an idea where the girls share their knowledge with one another and work together to excel in these tasks! Mulan’s Secret Plan was just such a cute, fun and endearing read and at 126 pages with perfectly adorable illustrations throughout, I finished this in one sitting! I definitely recommend this to fans of Disney of any age!
November 22, 2022
Introducing my 4yo to chapter books!
10 chapters- read over 10 bed times (took about two weeks)
I'm hopeful that other books in this series will be able to hold my daughter's attention better. Nothing very exciting happens in the book and it was a challenge to make the end of a chapter seem like a cliffhanger that we couldn't wait to get back to the following night.
I also assumed that the book would be about the girls in Mulan's village being taught housemaking tasks at school while the boys school learned about math and reading. The first two chapters leaned heavily on "the girls school being different than the boys school", but that didn't end up being plot important at all.
I'm happy that in the end the message of the story was for the girls of the village to work together as a team instead of competing against each other, that's definitely something I want my kiddo to be taught. However, I wish someone would have come out and directly praised the girls for working as a team. Really their ability to succeed together was more or less implied. The parents at the end of the book seemed happy about the girls outsmarting the Matchmaker rather than the girls forming a tight bond.
Guiding questions to keep my 4yo engaged:
-What do you think a Matchmaker is?
-A rice makeover?!? What do you think that means?
-Why do you think Mei was cheating?
-Who do you think is going to win the competition?
10 chapters- read over 10 bed times (took about two weeks)
I'm hopeful that other books in this series will be able to hold my daughter's attention better. Nothing very exciting happens in the book and it was a challenge to make the end of a chapter seem like a cliffhanger that we couldn't wait to get back to the following night.
I also assumed that the book would be about the girls in Mulan's village being taught housemaking tasks at school while the boys school learned about math and reading. The first two chapters leaned heavily on "the girls school being different than the boys school", but that didn't end up being plot important at all.
I'm happy that in the end the message of the story was for the girls of the village to work together as a team instead of competing against each other, that's definitely something I want my kiddo to be taught. However, I wish someone would have come out and directly praised the girls for working as a team. Really their ability to succeed together was more or less implied. The parents at the end of the book seemed happy about the girls outsmarting the Matchmaker rather than the girls forming a tight bond.
Guiding questions to keep my 4yo engaged:
-What do you think a Matchmaker is?
-A rice makeover?!? What do you think that means?
-Why do you think Mei was cheating?
-Who do you think is going to win the competition?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2026
Mulan is excited because at last she will be able to go to school. For years, she’s watched the boys troop into the schoolhouse to learn sums and reading and writing and martial arts. But now it’s her turn! A matchmaker has come to instruct the village girls on proper etiquette and household skills so they will eventually be able to make a good match. She and some of the other village girls have been invited to participate. But when they show up, school is not quite what they expected. Now the girls must try and pass their own version of school, but how can they when the matchmaker doesn’t actually seem to be teaching them anything?
This is an enchanting story about one of the best Disney princesses. Set before the movie, this story explores school for girls in a time where girls were not educated. This is a wonderful tale of teamwork and friendship that I will definitely reread. If you loved the original Mulan, this book will expand her story in a way you’re sure to love. Recommended for kids and kids-at-heart.
This is an enchanting story about one of the best Disney princesses. Set before the movie, this story explores school for girls in a time where girls were not educated. This is a wonderful tale of teamwork and friendship that I will definitely reread. If you loved the original Mulan, this book will expand her story in a way you’re sure to love. Recommended for kids and kids-at-heart.
April 12, 2020
Thank you to Scholastic Aus for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mulan’s Secret Plan is a quick and fun story about friendship and kindness. Whilst Mulan wants to learn what the boys get to at school, like martial arts, she instead gets to learn how to be a housewife. While school wasn’t what Mulan initially thought it would be, with her friends, she finds a way to make the best of it! If you’re a Disney fan, you’ll for sure enjoy this book!
Mulan’s Secret Plan is a quick and fun story about friendship and kindness. Whilst Mulan wants to learn what the boys get to at school, like martial arts, she instead gets to learn how to be a housewife. While school wasn’t what Mulan initially thought it would be, with her friends, she finds a way to make the best of it! If you’re a Disney fan, you’ll for sure enjoy this book!
September 27, 2021
This was a fun little story! I picked this up on a whim from my library along with Elsa’s and Cinderella’s and really enjoyed it. I like how the author kept Mulan’s cleverness and willingness to push herself and others and how her personality from the animated movie still shone through. I also really liked the art.
Content: none
Content: none
December 30, 2021
A very cute and quick story about sisterhood, family traditions, and teamwork. A different take on Mulan but her bravery and tenacity still showed through in this story. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
January 31, 2023
read July 26th, 2022
review written on December 5th, 2022:
it's been 5 months, and i can genuinely say this book is better than so many young-adult books i've read
also: didn't even see Ying's cheating coming because i'm apparently that stupid
review written on December 5th, 2022:
it's been 5 months, and i can genuinely say this book is better than so many young-adult books i've read
also: didn't even see Ying's cheating coming because i'm apparently that stupid
January 15, 2020
Great story showing kindness and friendship can help overcome challenges.
June 27, 2021
I absolutely loved this little story from Mulan's childhood!
December 1, 2021
Well, it was a story. A bit enjoyable, but not much to it.
January 4, 2025
Rep: Chinese cis girl MC and SCs (Mulan, Na, Mei, Jin, Chen, Ying); Chinese cis woman SCs (Mulan's mother and grandmother, etc.)
October 1, 2022
Fun chapter book prequel
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews