Synopsis:
Early 1990s. Mia moves with her parents from China to America in the hope of a better life. Instead, her parents struggle to get work and the family faces hostility and racism. When her parents are offered positions as motel managers they are relieved – until the catch becomes clear. Owner Mr Yao takes most of the profit. To earn enough money to live on, her parents must work every hour of the day. Mia makes manning the front desk her role – and she turns it into a way to help other Chinese immigrants.
If Mr Yao finds out about Mia’s secret guests – the other immigrants – her parents will lose their jobs. It becomes clear to Mia that they can’t live this way forever, and so she sets about trying to win a motel in an essay writing competition. Will Mia’s dreams ever come true, or will she and her family always be at the mercy of people like Mr Yao?
Review:
The bravery and love in this book is extraordinary. Mia Tang has hopes and dreams. She’s bright and witty and hardworking. Unfortunately, she’s up against the prejudice and greed of others.
There’s a huge amount of love and support in this story too – the love between Mia and her parents, the friendship Mia finds with another child at school, and the growing support and kindness shared between Mia’s family and the motel’s ‘weeklies’ – that is the people who live in the motel and rent their rooms on a weekly basis. This story exposes much of what is wrong with the system in the U.S.A and it also shows how people extend support to one-another during difficult times.
One of the many interesting relationships in this story was that of Mia and the motel-owner’s son Jason. This is partly because Mia saw him for what he was at the start – a bully and a narrow-minded person like his father. It is also because it mirrors the struggles Mia’s family experience with adults – except that Jason’s mind opens and the question of whether he will find the decency to stand up for Mia adds another layer to the narrative.
The fact that this story is semi-autobiographical, and that Kelly Tang did become a writer whose intelligence and hard work shines through, will offer inspiration to readers who recognise something of themselves in Mia’s family.
A wonderful new voice in contemporary teen fiction.
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang is available now from Knights Of. RRP. £6.99. (Provided for review)
