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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
Books like this one remind me of why I read middle grade. There are so many middle grade authors I still love from my childhood, but so few modern ones that I check for now as an adult. Kelly Yang has definitely become a new favorite. I can now confidently say I will read anything she puts out.
Starting the autumn after the end of the first book, Mia is still running her motel with her family. In gaining the motel, she assumed that her familys’ goal of making it in America had finally been reached - she soon discovers that there is more to the ‘American Dream’ than she previously realized.
Like Front Desk this book manages to be painfully realistic whilst maintaining an optimistic, earnest tone throughout. The situations depicted in this book are a reality for so many kids and Yang’s description of what it means to live life just above the poverty line as an immigrant - whether you’re a child or adult - is the kind of honest depiction kids deserve. It very much embodies the saying ‘things will get worse before they get better’. But, the way Mia staunchly sticks to her optimistic, can-do attitude in spite of such tragic events continues to be inspiring.
This book deals with the very heavy topic of immigration using the real life Proposition 187 of 1994 to set the stage for the story. There’s a lot of different ideas floated around from both sides of the argument, but I appreciated how strongly Yang asserted the importance of the people over policy throughout. It was maddening to see that same rhetoric that has resulted in such a rabid resurgence of open racism now be parroted decades previously. It hurts to know we haven’t come nearly as far as we often like to think.
I firmly believe that reading this book would be monumentally comforting to children of immigrants, children of color or children watching their friends suffer under racist hegemony. Honestly, all children as well as countless adults could benefit from being exposed to this kind of well thought out, carefully researched, heartfelt portrayal of bigotry’s effects on the already disenfranchised seeing as how deep-seeded prejudice ultimately impacts us all on some level.
The love that Mia’s parents have for her is only eclipsed by their respect for her. I love that they genuinely enjoy spending time with their daughter. It’s exactly how some of the best parent-child relationships are and I love to see positive relationships put on display in books intended for young readers. When you’re struggling that’s the most important time to be kind to one another.
This book expands more on Lupe and her life. In the first book I did feel like Lupe was not especially well fleshed out so while the circumstances were less than ideal I did enjoy getting to know her better as a character. I identify heavily with Jason - an unfortunate symptom of having similar upbringings - and I liked that the redemption began in Front Desk flows naturally into this one.
All that positivity aside I do have a few criticisms.
The turn of Mia’s racist teacher, Mrs.Welch, was too sudden a flip. I was already suspending my disbelief in regards to her changing at all. To have her randomly start seeing Mia as a person with so little to motivate her to do so was suspicious to say the least. Her initial passion for Proposition 187 made it too difficult for me to buy her overcoming her ignorance in a matter of weeks just by talking a little to Mia. Mr. Yao is a great example of how to humanize this type of character while simultaneously condemning their deeper personality. Ms. Welch was rushed in comparison.
This is compounded by the larger issue of the functions of a majority of the cast outside of Mia, Lupe, and somewhat Hank being diminished. I get it, having a ton of technically non-essential characters is hard to write especially if they are not overall particularly significant to the plot, but it did mean that a lot of the fun minor or supporting characters were not given much attention or development in this one. It could at times feel as if they were little more than NPCs running adjacent to the main quest.
There was enough on Mia’s plate already so I don’t fault Yang for not giving her a wildly racist teacher to also contend with on top of everything else. I just think Mrs. Welch’s evolution could have been executed more fluidly.
In the end I wasn’t bothered enough by these issues for my enjoyment to be impacted. And to be fair shallow characters can be a byproduct of middle grade depending on the intended demographic - higher vs lower middle grade - as well as the purpose of the book. Regardless, this was a sequel that absolutely lived up to its predecessor. I highly recommend it and I can’t wait for the next one.
Starting the autumn after the end of the first book, Mia is still running her motel with her family. In gaining the motel, she assumed that her familys’ goal of making it in America had finally been reached - she soon discovers that there is more to the ‘American Dream’ than she previously realized.
Like Front Desk this book manages to be painfully realistic whilst maintaining an optimistic, earnest tone throughout. The situations depicted in this book are a reality for so many kids and Yang’s description of what it means to live life just above the poverty line as an immigrant - whether you’re a child or adult - is the kind of honest depiction kids deserve. It very much embodies the saying ‘things will get worse before they get better’. But, the way Mia staunchly sticks to her optimistic, can-do attitude in spite of such tragic events continues to be inspiring.
This book deals with the very heavy topic of immigration using the real life Proposition 187 of 1994 to set the stage for the story. There’s a lot of different ideas floated around from both sides of the argument, but I appreciated how strongly Yang asserted the importance of the people over policy throughout. It was maddening to see that same rhetoric that has resulted in such a rabid resurgence of open racism now be parroted decades previously. It hurts to know we haven’t come nearly as far as we often like to think.
I firmly believe that reading this book would be monumentally comforting to children of immigrants, children of color or children watching their friends suffer under racist hegemony. Honestly, all children as well as countless adults could benefit from being exposed to this kind of well thought out, carefully researched, heartfelt portrayal of bigotry’s effects on the already disenfranchised seeing as how deep-seeded prejudice ultimately impacts us all on some level.
The love that Mia’s parents have for her is only eclipsed by their respect for her. I love that they genuinely enjoy spending time with their daughter. It’s exactly how some of the best parent-child relationships are and I love to see positive relationships put on display in books intended for young readers. When you’re struggling that’s the most important time to be kind to one another.
This book expands more on Lupe and her life. In the first book I did feel like Lupe was not especially well fleshed out so while the circumstances were less than ideal I did enjoy getting to know her better as a character. I identify heavily with Jason - an unfortunate symptom of having similar upbringings - and I liked that the redemption began in Front Desk flows naturally into this one.
All that positivity aside I do have a few criticisms.
The turn of Mia’s racist teacher, Mrs.Welch, was too sudden a flip. I was already suspending my disbelief in regards to her changing at all. To have her randomly start seeing Mia as a person with so little to motivate her to do so was suspicious to say the least. Her initial passion for Proposition 187 made it too difficult for me to buy her overcoming her ignorance in a matter of weeks just by talking a little to Mia. Mr. Yao is a great example of how to humanize this type of character while simultaneously condemning their deeper personality. Ms. Welch was rushed in comparison.
This is compounded by the larger issue of the functions of a majority of the cast outside of Mia, Lupe, and somewhat Hank being diminished. I get it, having a ton of technically non-essential characters is hard to write especially if they are not overall particularly significant to the plot, but it did mean that a lot of the fun minor or supporting characters were not given much attention or development in this one. It could at times feel as if they were little more than NPCs running adjacent to the main quest.
There was enough on Mia’s plate already so I don’t fault Yang for not giving her a wildly racist teacher to also contend with on top of everything else. I just think Mrs. Welch’s evolution could have been executed more fluidly.
In the end I wasn’t bothered enough by these issues for my enjoyment to be impacted. And to be fair shallow characters can be a byproduct of middle grade depending on the intended demographic - higher vs lower middle grade - as well as the purpose of the book. Regardless, this was a sequel that absolutely lived up to its predecessor. I highly recommend it and I can’t wait for the next one.
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Great book for kids and teens dealing with immigration and the many viewpoints surrounding it. I love the way the author deals with such a sensitive and complex issue in a way that everyone can understand. The wide range of characters and scenarios offer a chance to see both side of the issue.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
She did it again. This book was amazing. It was about prop 187 a California law on immigration in 1994. This book was not only immigration but racism and hate and written in such a way that it could be a middle school book and could be understood by all. It is amazing how she can take a her story and stories of others and write such an amazing story.
emotional
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No