Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.… for free, the Tangs will be doomed.
Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?
It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?
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Front Desk is a story about the hardships of immigrant life, the perpetuation of injustice, and a sweet, kind, indomitable young girl who chooses to rise up and fight no matter how hard it gets. Kelly Yang’s debut is a stunner.
I highly recommend this book and if you really like this one then you can also read three keys
This book is written for Middle Grade but is a good read for any age. It looks at Asian racism from the child’s point of view. Main character is upbeat and optimistic in a world that doesn’t treat her that way.
i loved this book my teacher is reading this book in class and this book is amazing but sad at the same time
Because I have to read it for school
I would rate this book much higher except for the swear words scattered throughout the book. It is a wonderful story, but WHY in the world is it considered appropriate to include swearing in books for 4th -6th graders???
I loved this book. The lesson is “No matter who you are or where you’re from, you can get the same things as other people.”
I really loved this book. I could not stop reading it! When it was over I was so sad and did not want it to end.
Wow–what a book! I started out thinking this was going to be a re-make of a beloved book from my childhood THE PINK MOTEL, but this book goes much deeper. The beginning is so intense that I was getting depressed about the state of the world (in July 2019). It’s even more appropriate now that the whole world has experienced so much upheaval. The ending is an amazing payoff!!! Well worth reading.
This is the story of a girl finding a new life in a new place. I love inter-cultural stories and this had lots of Chinese cultural tidbits and the international family that plays an important role at the end of the story filled me with hope for the future.
A beautiful book about how to defeat racism in a gentle but firm manner. It’s about the cost of losing your home, but also the ties and friendships you make when you come to a new country. A book clearly written from the heart of the author to all the immigrant children in America. It’s lovely!
SPOILER (SENSITIVE READER NOTE): I thought the mother being attacked felt too violent for a kids’ book even though it isn’t directly shown onstage. Go ahead and read it and decide for your own family. At the end of the book, the author’s note reveals that this really happened to her mother. 🙁
It is really good it made me cry.
So far I am loving this book so much and I think you would too, I really reccomed and THIS BOOK IS AMAZING
So much to love in this book: running the front desk of a motel, helping other immigrants, using writing to help others, solving a problem for her family. I loved the story of Mia and the people she meets.