Front Desk

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?

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.

Winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature!

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

• Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature
• Parents' Choice Gold Medal Fiction Award Winner
• NPR Best Books of the Year
• Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
• Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
• Washington Post Best Books of the Year
• School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
• Bookpage Best Books of the Year
• New York Public Library Best Books of the Year

"Mia's gradual understanding of racism and prejudice in America and her subsequent activism are at the heart of this triumphant tale. Readers will admire Mia for her audacity and her creativity.... Yang threads both comedy and social issues through Mia's relatable and entertaining storyline from a few decades ago (the 1990s) and makes it relevant to 2018 America." -- Horn Book

* "It's the details that sing in this novel, particularly the small moments that feel like everything when you're a kid...This book will help foster empathy for the immigrant experience for young readers, while for immigrant children, it is a much-needed and validating mirror....Deserving of shelf space in every classroom and library." -- Booklist, starred review