Reviews with content warning for Violence - Front Desk

This book is an incredibly poignant look into the life of immigrants to this country who come over for a better life and find hardship most of us cannot dream of. Throughout, the protagonist's positive attitude and general loveableness keeps it from becoming depressing, yet makes the way the deck is stacked really hit home. I've heard that children of immigrants can never forget how hard their parents worked and how much their parents gave up for them to have the opportunities they did, but I understand it in a deeper, gut level way after reading this book.

It is largely autobiographical and it reads as an autobiography at first, without a clear problem to solve being introduced for a fair bit into the book. There are clearly problems in her life, but it reads as more a telling of what her life is like than a traditional story with rising action, etc, for the first half. The second half is where it feels more like a work of fiction. This is not bad, just an observation. The end was fairly feel-good unrealistic, but that makes sense for a children's book about *hard* topics that can't be nicely tied up with a bow.

Overall an important book that makes its readers richer for having read it.

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2busyreading's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.75

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Front Desk is the story of Mia Tang, a ten year old Chinese immigrant who often works at the front desk of the motel complex she lives in with her parents while they are hard at work cleaning the units. The book explores many of the difficulties migrant families face - poverty, lack of health insurance, loan sharks, illegal and exploitative working conditions, racism, generational conflict and more yet these were handled in way that was appropriate for the intended audience. Mia is a really likeable protagonist with determination and a good-getter attitude, someone who not only wants to help her family but who goes out of her way to help others and stand-up for what she knows to be right. The happy and heartwarming ending is a nice counter to some of the tougher themes. I loved the way this book highlights the significant positive differences children Mia’s age can make in the world. The author’s note at the end adds some valuable context and details how parts of the story are based on her own life experience.

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theoceanrose's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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gurnoor's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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megmro's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

An emotional look at the ups and downs of fifth grade as an impoverished, undocumented Chinese immigrant. The family deals with a LOT of hardships, and so do the other characters they come in contact with--other Chinese immigrants, and a wonderful black man named Hank who lives long-term at the motel.

Many of the incidents are sad, stressful, and scary:
~Mia's mom is attacked and beaten up by robbers, and the family is too poor to pay the doctor's bill when they take her to a hospital. The mom is alright, and the doctor fights for them and gets the hospital to forgive the bill, but the whole episode is upsetting and stressful.

~Mia is grabbed and shouted at by a drunk man trying to rent a room at the hotel.

~Hank is falsely accused of stealing a car, and loses his job because of it. Later, he is incorrectly arrested when he chases down the robbers who attacked Mia's mom. He ends up losing his housing because of it. Mr. Yao is super discriminatory to black people, and Mia knows it's wrong and takes action.

~The other Chinese immigrants who come to the motel have sad stories of being treated horribly. One man has been beat up by loan sharks who have threatened to kill him. Another weeps because he's ashamed to tell his mother back in China how poor he is. Another has been held basically as a slave, and has broken out, but the old boss still has his passport. Lots of stressful things like that.

~The only other Asian in school is Jason Yao, the son of Mr. Yao, the dishonest and cruel motel owner, and Mia's parents' boss. Mia sees Jason being physically bullied, and then she becomes the target of HIS bullying all year long. He's just awful to her. She is teased by everyone for being poor. Content warning: the first time she meets Jason, he's wearing "a shirt that said 'I don't give a' and then a picture of a rat and a donkey."

The GOOD stuff:
~She makes wonderful friends with a hispanic girl named Lupe. Loved the development of that friendship.

~Mia is a tenacious problem-solver. She comes up with ideas that help everyone around her. She suggests a secret signal system to let immigrants know that they can hide for a few nights at the motel. Her parents provide a safe haven for many people because of Mia. She also starts writing letters to people asking for solutions. It starts small, with thank you notes and apologies, but then she gets bolder, and writes a letter of recommendation to Hank's prospective employer. She pretends to be a lawyer and writes a letter demanding their friend's passport back. She enters contests and reaches out for help. She calls out racism and dishonesty. It's really inspiring. She is a fantastic example of strength, courage, resourcefulness, grit, integrity and persistence. She's an incredibly likable character, despite a couple frustrating screw-ups at the beginning that get her family in trouble.

~Lots of wonderful character development in the book. The relationship between Mia and her mom goes through a deep, meaningful change, too. Lots of growth.

~The ending is warm-fuzzy awesomeness.

So, lots of hardships and sadness, but otherwise clean where language/sexual content is concerned. This would be an excellent choice for a school project on immigrant experience, social justice, racism, etc. Kids will definitely learn empathy and perspective.

I would say grade 6+, just because of the hard emotions and situations dealt with in the book.

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maliameiireads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Fast-paced, riveting realistic middle grade fiction informed by the author's own life as a young Chinese immigrant helping her parents manage motels. Mia is a dynamic young protagonist who discovers the power of her own voice and the power of community.

If you like Front Desk, definitely check out Finally Seen — both are wonderful middle grade stories of immigrant lives, but I think Finally Seen is the better book, showcasing the author's growth as a writer.

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