Front Desk (Front Desk #1) (Scholastic Gold)
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4.5 • 242 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Inside Out and Back Again meets Millicent Min, Girl Genius in this timely, hopeful middle-grade novel with a contemporary Chinese twist.Winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature!* "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewMia 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.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?Front Desk joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Since emigrating to America from China, 10-year-old Mia and her parents have worked their way up to managing a dingy California motel, where Mia watches the front desk after school while her parents clean the rooms. The whole family lives in fear of the tyrannical owner, Mr. Yao, whose constant threats and abuse are genuinely frightening. But they also keep an eye out for their fellow immigrants and anyone else who needs a helping hand. In the start to this middle-grade series, author Kelly Yang evocatively captures the early-’90s setting—not to mention Mia’s feisty intelligence. The novel also brings balance and subtlety even to its less likable characters. Plus, it’s hard not to root for a heroine who faces the scary prospect of transferring to a new school by thinking, “I’ll make new friends. And if I don’t, I’ll check out books from the library.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yang draws effectively on her own childhood in this lively debut, which offers a candid portrait of one Chinese-American immigrant experience through the eyes of a gutsy, empathetic 10-year-old. In 1993, when Mia Tang's parents become managers of a California motel, she envisions bright times ahead: the motel has a pool, and Disneyland is just down the road. But the mean-spirited motel owner bans her from the pool and cheats her parents out of money they deserve, keeping Disneyland far out of reach. While her parents work tirelessly, Mia takes charge of the front desk and much more. Believing that "sometimes, you have to... be creative to get what you want," and flouting her mother's repeated assertion that Mia's English will never be as proficient as native-born Americans', she writes letters creatively forged to aid others, including an African-American victimized by racial profiling and a Chinese immigrant abused by his boss. Mia's story is one of indefatigable hope and of triumph over injustice, and her voice is genuine and inspiring. Ages 8 12.
Customer Reviews
I’m love it!
I love how the author describes the feelings and emotions of the characters. I would definitely recommend this book. It’s not that expensive either.
Bring back great memory’s
I love this book, It makes me so happy and feels so comforting, I read it everyday when I returned home from school when I was a young girl.
Didn’t like the character
The story was good and had great morals but I didn’t like the protagonist Mia. She’s very annoying to me especially when she does stupid things (which she does a lot). Coming from an American that has some Italian heritage I can’t relate to this character at all. Also it is very confusing that most of the side characters are even called aunt or uncle. They’re not actually related to Mia but they are called that. Again probably would understand/appreciate this book much more if I was Chinese or had Chinese heritage.