May 29th 2018 | Arthur A. Levine Books
Source: Library
Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.I did not expect to get as emotional over this book as I did but I should have been more prepared. I wanted to read Front Desk because not only was it a middle grade book but one about an immigrant girl and her family.
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?
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a story surrounding the immigrant experience and I now under why. While Front Desk is the story of Mia and her family, I wondered if maybe this was about my childhood. Mia and I don’t have the exact same circumstances—my family didn’t live/own a hotel for one—but I understood her fear, her dreams and wants and her desire for more. Knowing that you’re parents were struggling and wanting to desperately help them but you couldn’t? I got that. I also understood what it was like to want to hide certain things about yourself too. Mia didn’t want people to know that she lived and worked at a motel. She didn’t want people to know that her family relaly didn’t have money. She struggled with English but tried so hard to get the language right. All of these experiences were ones I shared with Mia. Even though I’m an adult and Mia and I have so many differences, none of those differences mattered when it came to this story. That’s what any story does: it allows us to connect to people and make us feel less alone no matter what we didn’t have in common.
I also loved the found family aspect of this story. Not only was Mia able to make a friend in school, she was able to form a bond with the regulars at the motel. Even more so, her family helping other Chinese immigrants in need also added another level of community that I loved. If there’s one thing that I think a lot of immigrants can agree with is the importance of having a family, found or otherwise, and a community to support us.
I don’t really have else to say but I’m glad that this book exists. If I’d had this book as a child I might’ve felt less alone than I did. Front Desk is a hard book to read but also one that’s hopeful. You become angry at how people are treated (how they’re allowed to be treated) but you also want the best for them. It’s such a powerful book.
Add your comment