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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
“What’s it like to be…undocumented?” I asked. Lupe was quiet a long time, playing with her drawing pencil with in fingers. “It’s like being a pencil, when everyone else is a pen,” she finally said. “You worry you can be erased anytime.”
Both Front Desk and Three Keys are amazingly written YA books. Kelly Yang tackles some big and important topics in both books— relevant, powerful, and thought provoking. Highly recommend for classrooms and home libraries.
I LOVED this book! It was better than the first one. (And I don’t think you need to read them in order if you want to start with this one.)
This book is about the experiences of immigrant children at the time of the prop 187 ballot in California in the 1990s. Such great insight into the plight of immigrants. Mia Tang and her friends organize to fight for immigrant rights and spread their campaign of kindness to immigrants and immigrant children in their town. Mia Tang might be my hero. :-)
As I approached the end of the book I found my self hoping that the author would include notes about this legislation and current status - and boy did she! She takes just a few pages to tell why this topic interested her and how there have been very distinct parallels in the last couple of years.
This book is about the experiences of immigrant children at the time of the prop 187 ballot in California in the 1990s. Such great insight into the plight of immigrants. Mia Tang and her friends organize to fight for immigrant rights and spread their campaign of kindness to immigrants and immigrant children in their town. Mia Tang might be my hero. :-)
As I approached the end of the book I found my self hoping that the author would include notes about this legislation and current status - and boy did she! She takes just a few pages to tell why this topic interested her and how there have been very distinct parallels in the last couple of years.
Kelly Yang is incredibly adept at presenting real social issues in empathetic yet age-appropriate ways. The Front Desk series doesn't shy away from difficult topics, yet makes them real and tangible for middle grade readers.
It's seldom I rate both the first and second book in a series with five stars, but Three Keys deserved it. Such a difficult, yet moving and sweet story.
It's seldom I rate both the first and second book in a series with five stars, but Three Keys deserved it. Such a difficult, yet moving and sweet story.
I loved this sweet quick read. The characters are great. The plot is great. The pacing is perfect. Would have given it 5 stars if the author had avoided the whole "nation of immigrants" and "good immigrant" tropes and if we had gotten a few more Black characters. Even for kids books, in 2021, that is dated and unhelpful. Otherwise, the book is a really sweet and inspiring work.
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to read these wonderful books but I am glad I finally have. Such powerful words and I really liked the activism focus of this book! I can’t wait to read the next one.
I found the first story in this middle grade series a treat, so I made a point to listen to this audiobook. Mia is in sixth grade and is struggling on all fronts: her teacher seems unimpressed with Mia's writing, the political situation in the state of California is anti-immigrant, and the motel is struggling financially. Mia learns how to stand up for those who are marginalized and advocate for actions that honor the dignity in all.
Such a wonderful continuation of the first book, Front Desk! Highly recommend for middle grade readers and up. Delves into immigration issues from the 1990s which are sadly applicable today. Characters are relatable and a joy to read. Much discussion could be had from this quick reading book.
I was utterly charmed by Front Desk. I thought the first book was cute and inspiring, letting young readers know that even though they are young, they still hold power to change their lives. This book felt more... cartoonish. I believe Mia to be plucky. We were shown this in the first novel. She is passionate and possibly leaps before she thinks in some of her actions. Sometimes this works out for the better. This time, it seemed Mia could do no wrong. I believe in empowering children and listening to their thoughts and ideas, but it is a completely different matter to give a 6th grader full control over her family's business. Mia is hiring staff, writing reports to shareholders, and making economic decisions, while her parents sit to the side dejected. It's not a matter of them listening to their daughter's ideas and possibly implementing them. Mia makes the decisions. When Hank decides to quit his job, Mia hires him. Instead of checking in with her parents, the owners and managers, he takes her word for it. It completely blew my mind. Her parents are smart, they are engineers and scientists, but we are never shown their skills. Instead they are checked out and exhausted from maintaining the motel all day.
Outside of these flaws, the social commentary in this book is worth reading. Yang voices the immigrants' journey. From trying to prove that you've made it, to imposter syndrome, to racial profiling and deportation. While it is a short book, a lot is unpacked in the narrative. As things are getting heated in this year's election, many of these issues are coming to the foreground again.
Outside of these flaws, the social commentary in this book is worth reading. Yang voices the immigrants' journey. From trying to prove that you've made it, to imposter syndrome, to racial profiling and deportation. While it is a short book, a lot is unpacked in the narrative. As things are getting heated in this year's election, many of these issues are coming to the foreground again.
Mia is once again a little annoying in her unrelenting faith in mankind, and the ending was once again too good to be true, but it was still a nice story and can teach kids a lot about recognizing and combating prejudice.