Front Desk (Front Desk #1) (Scholastic Gold) Paperback – June 25, 2019

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.

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.

I purchased this book to read before sending it as a gift to a young friend. It’s well written and is an engaging story. It deserves all the accolades it’s received

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.

Brand spanking new hardcover. Quality was great. That's the product from Amazon. The story itself has become priceless. I bought it to participate in the Great Global Read Aloud project with my class. However, being fourth generation American born Chinese AND teaching to students of various ethnic backgrounds and citizenship, this story really spoke to me. My 6 year old son has asked me to read it aloud to him as I was vetting the book and has really enjoyed it. Keep in mind there are some mentions of "idiot" and "hell", both in context, but I probably won't read it aloud exactly like that in the classroom to avoid any issues. It's a very eye opening story and lends itself to a lot of conversation about where you come from, who you want to be, and how to be the true you, without giving way to stereotypes and prejudices. These days, more people could use a more humbling story like this to truly just make LIFE GREAT AGAIN, no matter where you live.

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.

FRONT DESK is loosely based on author Kelly Yang’s life experience, as explained in an author’s note at the end of the book.Her straightforward writing makes this book perfect for younger middle grade readers (Mia is 10). Yet Yang tackles difficult issues like interpersonal, systemic, and institutional racism. She writes so simply and honestly, it’s hard to imagine a young person walking away without understanding these powerful messages.FRONT DESK is infused with dark truths about America and still manages to be light, heartwarming, and fast-paced. Lovable Mia solves problems by using her writing skills—not her math skills as her mother wishes she would. She beats the system by using her words, often disguised as the words of adults, to point out injustices and find pathways to a better life for her family and friends.Mia’s and her parents’ find—actually, create—community at the Calavista Motel. They fight back when multiple systems conspire to make life impossible for Hank, an African American man who lives at the hotel. They devise a system to hide desperate Chinese immigrants in vacant rooms. This is deep social justice work, accompanied by anecdotes of Mia’s follies at the front desk and problems at school.The book ends on a hopeful note, with the Tangs’ community surrounding them to help them take the first step off the poverty rollercoaster. The solution they come up with has a chance at helping others get off, too.FRONT DESK shifts the narrative about the American experience, acknowledging that there are many American experiences. The pathway to the American Dream can take many forms, and Yang has described one that is heart wrenching, hopeful, and a lot of fun along the way.

This was a fascinating and captivating story from start to finish.Although the book is rated for readers age 9-12, I bought this for my 8 year old granddaughter. After skimming the first chapter and a half, I wasn't certain this is a book written for children.Anyway, our library had an audio version available, so I borrowed it and started listening... and ended up spending the next 7 hours listening to the entire book.In my opinion, the writer, Kelly Yang, has that special knack for story telling that's akin to Nicholas Sparks. I mention this because many published authors abound who don't have as great a story telling ability that matches their expert writing ability; and there IS this difference.I can whole-heartedly recommend this book to readers of all ages. My granddaughter is getting the book for Christmas.

"It is a very nice book. Must read for children " - as said by my daughter

Tudo em ordem e no prazo

Teaches about life in California. The ups and downs of immigration and inspires kids to become a writer. Kelly Yang writes happy, strong character books with a little political viewpoints interlocked. We spread the books as gifts and all my kid’s classmates here in Singapore want to read that book now.The whole series is great. Then there are a few other books that are good but not as great imho.

大変なことがたくさん起こり、途中読み進めるのがつらくもなったが、読後感は清々しい。とても読みやすい英語なのもよかった。