Front Desk

Mia might only be 10, but she can run the hotel front desk all by herself.

When Mia's parents get a new job managing a hotel in California, they hope it will finally provide the stability their family has longed for. But life is hard with a mean hotel owner and struggling to make ends meet. It's a moving depiction at common experiences of Chinese immigrants in the 1990s. Such realistic pictures of pressure to wear the right clothes to fit in at school and wanting to please the teacher and the glory of a class reward anyone who has gone to school can related to. Apt descriptions of American culture to an newcomer when Mia writes some tips for a family friend. The sense of camaraderie with the long-term residents at the hotel. They all contribute to a realistic middle grade fiction pick with humor, heart and a giant dose of optimism.