Front Desk
Kelly Yang (2018)
“A ten-year-old Chinese immigrant runs a motel front desk, writes letters to change the world, and discovers that courage is not the absence of fear but the refusal to stop fighting.”
Short Summary
Ten-year-old Mia Tang and her Chinese immigrant parents manage the Calivista Motel in Anaheim, California, for the exploitative Mr. Yao, who pays them next to nothing and forbids them from letting guests stay for free. Mia secretly helps undocumented immigrants hide at the motel, writes letters to magazines and newspapers demanding fair treatment, and befriends Mr. Yao's son Jason, who defies his father's prejudice. When Mr. Yao discovers Mia's secret, he threatens to fire the family, but the motel's immigrant community rallies together, Mia's letter is published, and the Tangs ultimately pool their savings with other immigrant families to buy the Calivista themselves.
Detailed Summary
In 1993, ten-year-old Mia Tang arrives in Anaheim, California, with her parents, having recently emigrated from China. Her mother, Ying, was an engineer in China; her father, Baba, was a respected professional. In America, they are nobody. They answer an ad for motel managers and begin working at th...