Front Desk by Kelly Yang

 

Over the past week, I read Front Desk by Kelly Yang. This contemporary novel is about a girl, Mia Tang, who immigrated to America from China with her parents in the early 1990s. Although they struggle to make ends meet the first couple years they live in America, Mia's mom finds an unusual job posting for a motel manager position in Anaheim, California where they will get boarding and her parents accept the job position after interviewing with the owner, Mr. Yao. To help out her parents, Mia decides to manage the front desk. Managing the front desk is a dangerous job and Mr. Yao is a cruel man who isn't willing to buy safety measures for the entrance of the motel. Mia makes the most of situation, though, befriending the weeklies in the motel. She also begins going to a new school where she makes a new friend, Lupe, and discovers a love for English and writing. When the school's librarian, Mrs. Matthews, tells Mia about an old couple in Vermont holding an essay contest to give away their motel, Mia is determined to enter the contest to make her dream of owning a motel come true. She practices her English skills by writing letters and begins to collect tip money for the entry fee. Mia knows that the odds are against her and she has a tendency to keep secrets, but she is up to the challenge and helps others along the way.

Although Mia is slightly younger than the main characters of the other Rebecca Caudill nominees, Front Desk is a surprisingly deep novel with themes that middle school students will understand and relate to. I enjoyed this novel because it showed me how a girl can rise above the challenges that Chinese immigrants have faced in this country. Mia was a very determined ten-year-old girl and I admired her resilience. There were several instances of racism that made me so mad because people, including children, can be so presumptuous about stereotypes or outright mean and immature. On the other hand, I loved Mia's friendship with Lupe. Even though they didn't tell the truth about themselves at first, they eventually connected over their shared experiences of immigrating to America and being poor. When Mia learned about the essay contest, she bounced her ideas off of Lupe, although she sometimes forgot to think about how Lupe might feel. Their friendship did face challenges, and I was so happy when they made up after a big disagreement. The most suspenseful part of the story was whether or not Mia would achieve her dream of owning a motel because she did face several setbacks. She never gave up, though, and I was so proud of her at the novel's conclusion. I think this novel is an exceptional choice for anyone who has ever a dream or a goal.