Front Desk

Four starred reviews and over ten best-of-year lists * Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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?

Author: Kelly Yang
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Published: 05/29/2018
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781338157796
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.5
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 196541 / Front Desk

Award: Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 04/15/2018 pg. 60
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2018 - Book Of Special Distinction
School Library Journal 03/01/2018 pg. 109
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2018 pg. 126
Publishers Weekly 06/18/2018
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2018 pg. 126
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 pg. 99 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Kelly Yang is the author of Front Desk, which won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen a Best Book of the Year by multiple publications, including NPR, the Washington Post, and the New York Public Library. Kelly's family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang. She eventually left the motels and went to college at the age of 13, and is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia and the United States. Her writing has been published in the South China Morning Post, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic. To learn more about her and the Front Desk books, visit frontdeskthebook.com.