Front Desk

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.com
Twitter: @kellyyanghk
Youtube: www.youtube.com/kellyyangproject
Instagram: kellyyanghk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kellyyangproject