If your child loves relatable, slice-of-life books about the experiences of kids their own age, they’ll delight in the award-winning Front Desk series by Kelly Yang.
Readers in grades 3-7 will see themselves in Mia and her friends as they navigate the nuances of friendship, responsibility, and coping with all-too-familiar situations, like discovering who they are and following their dreams. Winner of the Parents Choice Gold Award and Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018, the Front Desk series also touches on complex subjects like immigration and family culture.
In the eponymous first book, Front Desk, readers meet 10-year-old Mia Tang, whose parents manage the Calivista Motel where they also live. Just like any pre-teen, Mia butts heads with her parents — she wants to become a writer but her parents don’t agree. She also works the front desk of the motel, where the Tangs are secretly hiding illegal immigrants in the empty rooms. If the owner ever finds out, the Tangs will be in a lot of trouble.
Readers reunite with Mia and her family in the Calivista Motel, which they now own and run, in Front Desk #2: Three Keys. Mia and her friend Lupe still manage the front desk, and this time, Mia has big plans for the year ahead. But those plans run into a few hurdles as a new immigration law threatens many people in Mia’s life, the motel’s investors come knocking, and her teacher criticizes her writing.
Front Desk #3: Room to Dream opens up with Mia on a relaxing vacation in China to visit her family. But big changes in China remind her of similar changes in her own life, like the many new buildings being constructed around the Calivista Motel that threaten small businesses, her friend Jason pulling away, and her writing being at a complete standstill.
And don't miss the latest book in the series: Front Desk #4: Key Player. Readers will follow along as Mia faces prejudice, discrimination, and her own fears as she strives to meet her goals.
Shop the Front Desk series below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store, where you can get free shipping on book-only orders over $25.
