WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Description
The story of Mia and her family and friends at the Calivista Motel continues in this powerful, hilarious, and resonant sequel to the award-winning novel Front Desk.
Mia Tang thinks she's going to have the best year ever. She and her parents are the proud owners of the Calivista Motel, Mia gets to run the front desk with her best friend, Lupe, and she's finally getting somewhere with her writing! But as it turns out, sixth grade is no picnic...
1. Mia's new teacher doesn't think her writing is all that great. And her entire class finds out she lives and works in a motel!
2. The motel is struggling, and Mia has to answer to the Calivista's many, many worried investors.
3. A new immigration law is looming and if it passes, it will threaten everything -- and everyone -- in Mia's life.
It's a roller coaster of challenges, and Mia needs all of her determination to hang on tight. But if anyone can find the key to getting through turbulent times, it's Mia Tang!
Friendship Immigrants Hotels, motels, etc Chinese California, Southern Racism Chinese Americans Motels Immigrant families
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review
Aspiring writer Mia Tang, 11, returns in this complex yet accessible middle grade novel, the sequel to Yang's Front Desk. Newly named co-owners of the Calivista Motel in Anaheim, Calif., the Tangs are "on the good rollercoaster now," having escaped the authoritarian rule of former owner Mr. Yao. But their financial security is not guaranteed, and burgeoning racist sentiments and hate crimes--involving the impending 1994 gubernatorial election and one candidate's bill proposing to "kick undocumented children out of California schools"--only make matters worse. As Mia and her family and friends face numerous instances of discrimination, they must concurrently inhabit the liminal spaces of being immigrants of color in America, interrogating exactly what it means to believe in justice, fight for their dreams, and belong in a country that seems to resent them. Yang expertly presents resonant themes--including privilege, assimilation, and solidarity--in nuanced ways, providing an entrée into contemporary issues for even the most uninformed young readers. Engaging with a political climate that is similar to current times, Mia is the compassionate, action-driven heroine today's readers deserve. An author's note reveals Yang's personal inspiration and extensive research. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners. (Sept.)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
ALA/Booklist
Starred Review
A more-than-worthy sequel, full of hope and heart, even in the darkest of times.
Kirkus
Starred Review
Don’t miss this brave hero as she confronts anti-immigrant hatred in a timely historical novel.
Kelly Yang is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several books for young readers, including Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player, and the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature winner Front Desk, which was also chosen as a Best Book of the Year by multiple publications, including NPR, The Washington Post, and the New York Public Library. Kelly's family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang. After attending college at the age of 13, she graduated UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia and the United States. Her writing has been published in South China Morning Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. To learn more about Kelly and the Front Desk series, visit frontdeskthebook.com.
