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Scholastic

Front Desk (Front Desk #1) (Scholastic Gold)

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Description

Four starred reviews and over ten best-of-year lists! "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewFront Desk joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award- winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!Winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature!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? Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (June 25, 2019)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1338157825


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 26


Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 11 years, from customers


Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 640L


Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.75 x 7.5 inches


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Loved it!
Mia is a ten-year-old Chinese immigrant. She had immigrated to California from China 2 years earlier with her parents, who were hoping for a better life. Unfortunately, the United States in the 1990s was not exactly welcoming to Chinese immigrants, and many struggled. Mia and her parents were no different. After gaining and losing several jobs and facing homelessness again, Mia's parents take a job managing a motel. Unfortunately, the motel owner - who is Taiwanese, not Chinese, as he is quick to point out - is not only overtly racist, he is also exploitive and seems almost happy to point out to Mia's parents that they could be replaced immediately when they question his actions. But Mia and her parents try to make the best of it. Mia works the front desk when at the motel, quickly learning the ropes and consistently trying to find ways to help the guests and her family. She also becomes friends with the weeklies at the motel - those guests who live at the motel and pay weekly - and they quickly become part of her growing family. At school, though, Mia struggles. She can't tell the other students - most of whom are white - that she lives in a motel. She struggles in English, though she loves writing, and she also has disagreements with her mother who thinks she should focus on math and forget about writing because "she'll never be able to write as well as the white kids" for whom English is their native language. Most of the book is a slice-of-life look at running a hotel and Mia's struggle to integrate with the other students at school. Though it may seem to some that too much goes wrong at the motel in too short a period of time, I can say from experience that this depiction is incredibly realistic. While reading it, I was having flashbacks to my own experience managing a motel and running the front desk. The news Mia and her family get in chapter 55, in particular, hit hard on the feels for me, because my husband and I went through that same situation. We didn't use the same solution that Mia and her family did, and I definitely loved the solution they came up with. Throughout the story were the letters that Mia wrote, each for a different situation. These were an added touch, helping to bring the reader back to the days of the early and mid-90s, before email was ubiquitous and text messaging was still a dream. Her struggle to put word to paper, to make sure she was using the right words and tenses, was an added dimension to the story that I didn't expect but definitely appreciated. The author's note at the end, where she discussed her own experiences was also incredibly moving, and I loved learning that much of the book's scenarios were pulled from her own experiences, while also wanting to give a hug to the child that had to experience that struggle. I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, narrated by Sunny Lu, and I highly recommend it. Lu did a wonderful job with the narration, injecting just the right amount of emotion and tension into the performance. I had to force myself to stop listening so I could go to bed; had I not, I would have listened right through to the end and not getting any sleep. While I would have enjoyed the story, work the next day would not have been fun. Lol. So, long review short, I definitely recommend this book. For younger readers, I would recommend a parent read with them, as there are some tough situations that they may need/want to talk about. But overall, this is a story of hope for an immigrant family who is struggling to make a better life for themselves. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022 by Jennifer C.
    • Amazing, so inspiring!
This book is awesome! I can't wait to read all the books! I started by reading the 4th book, Top Story, but, I realized it was the last book and I asked my mom to give me the first book. This book is heartwarming, and inspiring! Make more, Kelly.
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024 by E. Campbell
    • Important Read for Kids and Adults
Front Desk is the story of a Chinese family coming to live and work in America and how the life they dreamed of is far different from what they imagined it would be. When the Tang family gets the opportunity to live rent-free and manage the Calavista Motel, they believe that America is truly the "Land of Opportunity."Instead, they find that they are working for an overbearing and racist owner, Mr. Yao, with little respect for them. Ten-year-old Mia Tang tries to run the front desk and faces innumerable challenges along with her overworked and overwhelmed parents trying to make ends meet. Mia learns the power of language and uses her letter-writing skill to help many people living or staying at the motel. The story is realistic and demonstrates numerous obstacles immigrants face when coming to a new country. Some incredibly poignant and uplifting moments reinforce the power of education and ingenuity. Author Kelly Yang's tale reflects her own experiences as an 8-12 year-old-child living with her parents in California as they fought to survive. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2022 by Pete Springer
    • amazing book
I liked that mia was determined even though it was difficult . i would recommend this book because it's full of ups and downs and it's some times funny. and the moral of the story is don't judge a book by its cover ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2024 by Amazon Customer
    • Powerful truth in a page turning story
Well written and powerful look into the lives of a family immigrated from China. The author’s account of her childhood experience doesn’t pull and punches, laying bare the realities odometer experience that are often swept aside. This isn’t a white-shaming novel; it’s honest about exploitation across and within ethnic groups. I appreciated the author’s wit and ability to convey such a meaningful message in a story that kept me turning pages. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021 by Rob vH
    • Great Book!
The book was awesome. I liked how Jason evolved during the year and the complex personalities of all the characters. This book was perfect and I am rereading it. I would not change anything.
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2024 by Allison T.
    • Good book but parents need to know....
Very talented writer here. We really wanted to continue reading this book but decided to stop reading it after a section in the book where there are claims made about black people being "bad people". Good intentions, I understand that. However, I didn't need that to be the very first time my child had EVER heard such words and she's a black child. I kept my cool but it was a wrap after that. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2024 by M. D.
    • Love this story!
Book 1 of a series. I read this when it was new, and really loved it. Now I can't wait to read the other books in the series!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2024 by Joe Mama

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