Front Desk

Locations
Call Number: Kids Book / Fiction / General / Yang, Kelly, Y Fiction / Yang, Kelly
On Shelf At: Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Kids Books 4-week checkout	Kids Book / Fiction / General / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-14-2024
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-25-2024
Pittsfield Kids Books 4-week checkout	Kids Book / Fiction / General / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-16-2024
Traverwood Kids Books 4-week checkout	Kids Book / Fiction / General / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-18-2024
Westgate Kids Books 4-week checkout	Kids Book / Fiction / General / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-13-2024
Westgate Kids Books 4-week checkout	Kids Book / Fiction / General / Yang, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-05-2024

Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Amazing and BreathTaking submitted by somewhere.gone on June 20, 2018, 7:15pm This book was a breathtaking book, that builds suspense in readers, has tons of humor, and is overall, just AMAZING. I loved how Kelly Yang made the characters so realistic. You'll definitely enjoy this book, as you follow Mia and her family's struggles and achievements, and beautiful moments. Kelly Yang constructs a touching story with her book Front Desk, about Mia and her family as they immigrant to America, and how Mia loves writing, and her best Lupe.

Inspiring submitted by flemingj on June 14, 2019, 5:01pm Mia story is one of hard work and perseverance. She is one little girl that you don’t want to mess with. Adults - stay out of her way!

Awesome book submitted by jcottey on August 14, 2021, 6:08pm Mia takes on the world to save her family and their livelihood, all while adjusting to school and new friends.

Inspiring and real submitted by himaja2 on June 20, 2022, 4:36pm Don't let this happy cover fool you this book made me cry multiple times but the story is beautiful and important

Great Book submitted by dlee12 on July 19, 2022, 6:43am I really enjoyed reading about Mia and how she was able to help save her family. Would recommend this book along with the sequel.

encouraging submitted by Isha on August 21, 2022, 8:31am Very nice book and it shows how to deal with life while still be strong and brave.

Great story that also tackles important issues submitted by dailyreader on July 1, 2023, 11:58am This was a great early exposure to issues of race and class for my daughter.

This book has so much impact submitted by Cherie on July 18, 2023, 6:23pm No wonder it’s an award winner! The author captured so much of what it’s like to be a young immigrant and minority in America in the early 90s. As I read I kept getting flashes of my own childhood having had similar experiences - being fresh off the boat, getting put down in school for being Asian, not having money and wearing thrift shop clothes, learning the real value of a dollar, getting free lunches, solace in the library, getting the expensive pencil that I never wanted to use because it was too special, seeing my mother struggling to find a decent job that didn’t discriminate against her, and working in a hotel together with me at the front desk while she worked in housekeeping. Even the pride in being able to take the family on a “fancy” dinner out with a prize won from school.

The book took so much inspiration from the author’s own life, and it’s those real moments that make it so impactful because it creates this natural environment to introduce a lot of difficult concepts that young people are just starting to get a grasp on at that young age: racism and discrimination, wage disparity and unfair labor practices, poverty, hunger, and desperation, fear and real danger, impossible dreams and achievable ones, and how truly valuable a quality education can be. It seems like these topics are too much for young minds, but these things are very much a part of their world and it’s important for them to understand what’s going on around them, and why.

Even though we’re two decades past when this book takes place, so many of the tough subjects covered are STILL painfully prevalent today. Many young people will learn a lot from this book, most hopefully empathy. And any adults reading this book will hopefully also learn a few things as well.

My Favorite Historical Fiction Book submitted by ksullivan on August 4, 2023, 10:48am When I first picked up Front Desk in 2019, I had no idea how big of an impact it would have on my life. Little did I know...Beautiful writing, relatable characters, a plot that hooked me from the first page--how could you not like this novel? However many times I read it over again, it still makes my heart feel all the feels. And it's not just Mia who has a special place in my heart. Jason Yao and Lupe Garcia are well thought out characters with their own stories to tell. What an amazing novel. And don't stop here! There are three other books in the series at the moment, and don't hesitate to read them because they are just as spell-bounding. Thank you, Kelly Yang!