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Front Desk Hardcover – Illustrated, May 29, 2018
Kelly Yang (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Lexile measure640L
- Dimensions5.8 x 1.2 x 8.3 inches
- PublisherArthur A. Levine Books
- Publication dateMay 29, 2018
- ISBN-101338157795
- ISBN-13978-1338157796
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Product details
- Publisher : Arthur A. Levine Books; Illustrated edition (May 29, 2018)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1338157795
- ISBN-13 : 978-1338157796
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Lexile measure : 640L
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.8 x 1.2 x 8.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #36,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Kelly Yang is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the FRONT DESK series, including FRONT DESK, THREE KEYS and ROOM TO DREAM, winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature, NEW FROM HERE, YES WE WILL, and the young adult novels PARACHUTES and PRIVATE LABEL.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2018
Top reviews from the United States
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The novel, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, was a very interesting and exciting book. It shows stories of immigrants, the story of a ten year old running a motel, and the hardships of the Tang family. Mia is a ten year old girl who moved to America from China when she was eight years old. Though, her family is poor and is struggling in this country. When she and her family get employed in a motel called the Calivista, Mia runs the front desk. The story also follows Mia to school, around her motel, and through her memories back to China.
One reason why I loved this book was learning about the Tangs’ hardships. I think that this book can open the eyes of many people to how immigrating is hard and painful to many. When I learned about what the Tangs went through, I thought about what it must have been like for everyone else like them. More people need to know about these people and what they go through, and how they make America a great and stronger country.
One feature of the book I liked was that it shows stories of other Chinese immigrants. Like one, a true tale, was told by a man named Zhang. When he first came to America, he had borrowed money from the loan sharks,(500, to be precise), and then he had gotten a job in a restaurant to pay the loan sharks back. His employer had confiscated his passport and ID, and Zhang had to sleep in the boss’s basement. But, Immigration came to the cafe, and the employees were forced to escape. The point is, all the immigrants had very hard jobs, and they had no choice but to do them. This was a detail that came throughout the story that made the story more detailed and envisionable.
Those were the reasons why I loved this book, and you should definitely read this book.
As a caveat to parents who care about this, there is one bad work in the book where one character calls another a name that starts with the letter b that is a term used to say someone is born out of wedlock. I feel it's OK for my daughter to read that word (not sure she even picked up on it) but figured some parents would feel differently.
Top reviews from other countries

The plot of this book is more of a slice-of-life of Mia’s story. There is no clear plot, rather a combination of subplots that form Mia’s life. I really like that because there was always something different happening, and kept me reading. Front Desk made my eyes water so many times, and I actually cried at one point. I was expecting to relate to this book through Mia being a child navigating life as an Asian-American, to my experiences of being Euro-Asian as a child, but I didn’t expect to relate to Mia’s financial circumstances so much, and it hit me hard, and even made me cry at times.
The best part of this book is the characters. You can’t help but fall in love with Mia as soon as you love her. Then you have Mia’s parents who work their best to provide a better life for Mia, and they are so great. Of course Mia’s mother reminds me a lot of my own. I remember being 16, and it was Christmas Day. My mother was almost forcing me to choose maths for A-Levels when we was having our Christmas lunch, and I spent the rest of the day crying because maths was one of my weakest subjects. I had to study so hard in order to be an average student. Luckily my mother eventually relented (mainly because of the influence of my father), but I understood Mia so well, and related to her. In many ways, I saw my own childhood in Mia.
There is also great secondary characters. Mia’s best friend is Lupe, a Mexican immigrant, and you see a tiny bit of her culture through her conversations with Lupe. Then there’s Jason, a Taiwanese boy who was born in America and makes Mia’s life hell, and all the regular people who stay at the motel. It’s almost as if the characters come off the page and meet you in real life when you read this book.
Overall, I give this book a 5/5! Front Desk is an important book because it shows the perspective of an immigrant. Unless you are one yourself, reading Front Desk is a great way to partially understand the same world that different people navigate through. It’s especially important if you end up reading this book to a young child, because it could teach them how the world works differently for others, and not to be so mean to other children. I cannot recommend this book more!

Well actually,an account of working to support yourself and family.
Told from the perspective of a recent immigrant.
It follows roughly the same pattern of many people wiling to give up their freedom to try to get ahead.
It's a shame that the system of employment seems to be based on the Rich riding on the shoulders of the Poor.
From Kids up chimneys,Women in the mills and Men down the mines.
It's a fascinating read and carries you along invested in the hopes and dreams of the characters.
It's told in a very absorbing way that has you turning the pages to find out what happens next.
There are some pretty good cliffhangers and nail biting moments.
Actually,there are some points in the story where you don't want to guess what might happen next...!
It could be described as a harrowing experience.
However,that shouldn't stop you from reading it,just so you can discover the conclusion.
It's a rollercoaster of a read and covers some gritty realism.
Just so you're not discouraged,it does have a positive ending.
The cover art is really what drew me to want to read the book.
Once I'd read the book,I wasn't surprised that the front cover was depicted as it was.
I enjoy Manga and Graphic novels in general so I recognised something vaguely familiar.
Those Orientals aren't as inscrutable as we're led to believe...
Anyway,
enough waffle,get the book,read it for yourself and draw...,your own conclusions.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt suitably rewarded for my effort by the ending.
Yes,I think I would give it 10/10.


Great read for all ages.


Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2021
Great read for all ages.

