Front Desk
by Kelly Yang
DETAILS: Series: Front Desk, #1 Publisher: Scholastic Press Publication Date: June 25, 2019 Format: Hardcover Length: 286 pg. Read Date: October 28, 2025
My parents told me America was this amazing place where we could live in a house with a dog, do whatever we want, and eat hamburgers till we were red in the face. So far the only part we’ve achieved is the hamburger part, but I was still holding out hope. And the hamburgers here are pretty good.
What’s Front Desk About?
I’m not sure where I got the idea—I thought I read it somewhere, but I can’t find it, but I want to say the year is 1993*, and Mia Tan and her parents have been in the U.S. for some time now—having left their family, friends, and lives back in China. Now in Anaheim, they’ve stumbled into a decent job—her parents will manage a motel not that far from Disneyland and they’ll get a place to live, in addition to what the owner has agreed to pay.
(we’ll ignore the way he changes that agreement unilaterally and without warning).
Despite only being ten, Mia starts working the front desk—and really enjoys it—when she’s not in school. She meets and befriends a group of “weeklies” (those who live in the motel). Basically, she’s enjoying life. Until she has to go to school—she can’t bring herself to tell anyone where her family lives, what she does when she’s not in school, etc.
The novel is about Mia becoming comfortable in the U.S., helping her family stabilize themselves in their work, and connecting with a community around them. This comes from the way her parents help immigrants (of multiple nationalities), the weeklies, and other connections she makes by being her irrepressible self.
* The technology used throughout the book fits, for what it’s worth.
The MG-Ness of It
This is very clearly an MG novel—other than the protagonist, the characters are rarely more than an inch deep. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like them—you just have to know going in that they’re going to have the depth of Candace Flynn.
With few exceptions (and those are very clear), these characters are supportive, encouraging, and wise—except for when they need to do something unwise/foolish for plot reasons.
It’s fine—it’s to be expected for the target audience, really. But I’ve been on a streak of some pretty deep reads lately, and it felt really light to me.
On the plus side—there’s no nuance to either the depictions of the xenophobia or racism or to the reactions to it. Yang kept that nice and clear—you help people no matter who they are? You get the white hat. You show prejudice against immigrants, Asians, Hispanics, and/or African Americans? You get the black hat—and very likely are forced to eat your just desserts. And honestly? That’s a relief—I needed something with that kind of clarity.
So, what did I think about Front Desk?
Sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to have an American mom. Just for a day. I could eat all the chocolate chip cookies I wanted because American moms on TV were always baking them. Or making casseroles. Or organizing birthday parties with themes.
I’ll tell you what they were not doing. They weren’t pestering their kids to do more math.
Although the novel is clear about problems in America—particularly when it comes to economics, xenophobia, and racism. But it loves Americans and American ideals, and while it gets shaken—Mia and her parents cling to some version of the American dream. It’s enough to give a cynic hope.
Speaking of hope—the book is full of it. Not all of it is grounded—but, I’m not sure I care. Mia’s hope and optimism are contagious. You see it in the way she sets about everything she does, the way she changes others, and the way those who have been changed start thinking and doing. Again, it’s only the black hats who seem impervious to this—although they are sometimes compelled to change their actions.
It’s sweet. It’s hopeful. It’s cheerful. It is honest about the flaws (and there are more than a few) of the protagonist/narrator, but it shows how she perseveres in light of them—and grows.
It’s really hard to find things to complain about, so I won’t. Pick it up—if not for yourself, at least for the MG reader in your life (assuming you’re fortunate to be blessed with one).
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