by Kelly Yang; illustrated by Maike Plenzke
About the Book
Mia Tang has a lot of secrets:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
Type of text: Realistic Fiction; Narrative; Middle-Grade Novel
About the Creators
Kelly Yang is an Asian American author whose family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl. She grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang, the main character in Front Desk. As a writing teacher for 13 years, Kelly helped thousands of children find their voice and become better writers and more powerful speakers. Before turning to fiction, she was also a columnist for the South China Morning Post for many years. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic.
Maike Plenzke (she/her) identifies as a white freelance illustrator and comic book artist from Berlin, Germany. She speaks German, English, and French, and she loves drawing diverse women and exploring nature in her work.
Note: These descriptions include self-identifiers provided directly by the author, illustrator, and/or publisher via email; they also contain information made publicly available (e.g., through professional websites, interviews, etc)
