Front Desk

From the publisher: 

Front Desk
by Kelly Yang

"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.

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?"

For having such a cute-sy cover, this book is definitely NOT a fluff read. It deals with a lot of heart-wrenching issues and actually made me feel quite depressed. I hate the thought that these kind of things actually happened to people, and probably still do. What is wrong with humankind?! Why can't we treat each other with respect, civility and kindness? I would be tempted to think that some of these stories were blown out of proportion if not for the author's note at the end saying most of the stories came from her real life. I think it is good for middle schoolers (and everyone) to read these kind of books to open our eyes to the plight of those around us. I'm glad we have this in our library and I just wish the cover didn't look quite so juvenile so that it would checked out more.
I will add the caveat that I thought the ending was a little too unbelievable and unrealistic, but middle schoolers will love the happy ending.

Areas of concern:
*Bullying
*Racism
*An important character getting assaulted
*Extreme poverty

Suggested Ages:

Booklist - Grades 5-7

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12