Scan barcode
A review by megmro
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail