Front Desk (Front Desk #1) (Scholastic Gold)

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.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 & 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, & hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants & guests, escape Mr. Yao, & go for her dreams?Kelly Yang’s family immigrated from China when she was a young girl, & she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang. She eventually left the motels & went to college at the age of thirteen, & is a graduate of UC Berkeley & Harvard Law School. She was one of the youngest women to graduate from Harvard Law School. Upon graduation, she gave up law to pursue her dream of writing & teaching kids writing. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing & debating program for children in Asia & the United States. She is also a columnist for the South China Morning Post & has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, & the Atlantic. Kelly is the mother of three children & splits her time between Hong Kong & San Francisco. Please find her online at:www.kellyyang.comTwitter: @kellyyanghkYoutube: www.youtube.com/kellyyangprojectInstagram: kellyyanghkFacebook: www.facebook.com/kellyyangproject Inside Out and Back Again meets Millicent Min, Girl Genius in this timely, hopeful middle-grade novel with a contemporary Chinese twist. Winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature! * "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.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? Front Desk joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content! Winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature! * "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." ? Kirkus Reviews, starred review Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. 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? Four starred reviews! * "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." — Kirkus Reviews , starred review Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. 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? "Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. 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?"--Page 2 of cover Recent Immigrants From China And Desperate For Work And Money, Ten-year-old Mia Tang's Parents Take A Job Managing A Rundown Motel In Southern California, Even Though The Owner, Mr. Yao Is A Nasty Skinflint Who Exploits Them; While Her Mother (who Was An Engineer In China) Does The Cleaning, Mia Works The Front Desk And Tries To Cope With Demanding Customers And Other Recent Immigrants--not To Mention Being Only One Of Two Chinese In Her Fifth Grade Class, The Other Being Mr. Yao's Son, Jason.