Front Desk is about ten-year-old Mia Tang who moved to the US for a better life with her parents. So far, it’s a life where she runs the front desk of a motel while her parents clean rooms.
The story explores Mia’s yearning for acceptance, justice and a fairer life for all. Mia is strong and shows just what a ten year old is capable of doing – changing lives one day at a time in the face of racism, intolerance and a brand new country where things are much harder than her family ever contemplated.
Kelly Yang is an American citizen living and working in Hong Kong. She went to the University of California at Berkeley at age 13, graduated at 17, and completed Harvard Law by age 20. She’s now a columnist for the South China Morning Post and has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and CNN.com. She is also the founder and director of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debate centre in Asia. She’s been on the BBC, CNN, Huffington Post, and more, to discuss education and learning. Her YouTube channel hosts an extraordinary global issue show for teens. Launched just in January, the episodes have been hitting upwards of 25,000 views each on Facebook.
With Front Desk, author and journalist Kelly Yang pens a sensitive story of tolerance and diversity that will resonate with readers of all cultures who have experienced the challenges of feeling like an outsider.
