Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Summary from Goodreads:

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?

Review:

So, kids books are just killing it. I swear every single one I read is moving me. This one had me crying all over the place (in times of sadness, great frustration, but also happiness….) It gave me all the feels. I know the summary mentioned this book being about a child running a front desk of a motel that helps hide immigrants, but I still thought it was going to be a lot lighter…I guess the cover is just so adorable, I was expecting a more adorable story.

I’m not saying this is a tragedy. There are such pure, tender moments of happiness in this that I literally cried from happiness. It just was a little more intense than I thought it would be, based on the cover.

The characters and people that form a family at this motel are just wonderful. Mia and her parents learn a lot about income inequality, racism, immigration, business, safety, and American in general while working at this motel. The sacrifices this family makes for each other are just heartwarming. I’m almost tearing up writing this review and thinking about it now. I think though, what got to me the most was Mia’s relationship with her mother. I don’t want to spoil anything. And it’s rather complicated. But, there’s something so universal about a daughter trying to explain her dreams to an older generation. But, also, understanding why the mother feels how she does too was so important for me.

This book really makes me think about all the things I take for granted. I never considered myself upper class or wealthy growing up, and I know there were times when my family struggled more than others. But, we always had a home and food. I never had to share one hamburger for dinner with my whole family. To read a book about a kid going through this who is so smart and whose parents are so capable and who work so hard, is devastating. A lot of what Mia’s family goes through is awful.  I definitely think this can be a great book for learning and discussing the immigrant experience in America. It’s actually based on a true story.

But, also know so much of the book is also about the people Mia’s family surround themselves with and learning that good people are out there, and good people can make all the difference too. Mia’s family work around a terrible boss, and end up helping so many people. They stand up to racism. They help their neighbors. There’s such a strong sense of community in this book.

All in all, this book blew me away. The characters were amazing. The setting was fantastic. The message couldn’t be more relevant. I hope this book helps people. I can see it helping people. It made me feel so many emotions. I give it a 10/10.