Play Book Tag discussion

Front Desk is a delightful middle grades book about a family of Chinese Immigrants who get a job running a small motel in California. I enjoyed the characters, the writing, the sub plots and the big finish. Ten year old Mia manages the front desk while her parents perform other duties. The family deals with many problems, beginning with an owner who pays them far less than promised. Mia turns out to be quite resourceful and good at her job, particularly for a 10 year old. She builds friendships with the weekly residents, stands up against racists, and solves a car theft. Their life is sometimes dangerous, but Mia has an ambitious secret plan to help her parents.

The author’s real-life experience with a family run motel gave her authentic details. The story includes some of the challenges faced by immigrants, including lack of health care, and tactics used to scam them. While the ending wasn’t very realistic (view spoiler)[where were the lawyers? (hide spoiler)] it was sure entertaining.