Front Desk
2018
- juvenile fiction
- juvenile literature
- self-confidence
- chinese
- immigrants
- exploitation
- immigrant families
- motels
- friendship
- children's fiction
The story
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?
What it’s like
Warm, plainspoken prose carries this middle-grade novel, narrated in the earnest, observant voice of a ten-year-old who notices everything at the front desk of a shabby roadside motel. The mood is hopeful and close to the ground: fluorescent lobby light, sun-faded carpets, the clatter of cleaning carts and the hum of vending machines, with the small world of guests and neighbors rendered in tender, specific detail. Short chapters and brisk dialogue keep the pace lively, and the tension is steady rather than frantic, built on money worries, a looming villain, and secrets kept at night. Its emotional register is cozy but not soft: a young girl's courage and self-belief growing as she learns to speak up for herself and for others, while her family's sacrifices weigh quietly on every page. The intensity is mild. There is some menace from an unkind landlord and the constant threat of discovery, but no violence, gore, or sexual content, and the fear stays at the level of worry rather than peril. It suits a rainy afternoon, a read-aloud with a younger reader, or a gentle comfort book for anyone who loves stories of resilience, found family, and immigrant childhoods, and it will especially resonate with young readers who dream of writing.
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