Reviews

Key Player by Kelly Yang

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thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition

5.0

Mia’s back and going for the goal in the 4th Front Desk book.
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Everyone’s talking about the World Cup coming to LA and it’s Team USA vs. Team China! Meanwhile at Mia’s school she’s earning a C in PE, still afraid to play sports, even though her family has health insurance now. Mia is dying to attend a writer’s workshop, but must have the grades for it so she makes a deal with her coach: if she can get an interview with either Team USA or Team China, she’ll get a better grade in PE. Mia’s unsure who to root for in this match, as she’s from China, but lives and has a home in America now. As Mia tries to track down each team, she realizes both her identities matter—not just one.

roots_and_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

Like all of Kelly Yang's books in this series, the story was engaging and I loved learning alongside Mia! Perfect for grades 4 and up.

mariathelibrarian's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? No

4.0

jillmccracken's review against another edition

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4.0

Key Player is the fourth book in Kelly Yang’s Front Desk series that the kids and I have been listening to in the car on the way to and from school. In this novel, Mia navigates the 1999 Women’s World Cup that is pitting her two countries, America and China, against one another. Ms. Yang continues to include the lovely collection of characters, but Mia and Hank are probably still our favorites. We also loved Lupe’s journey in this book with regards to her sexuality; and I never thought I’d say it, but our opinion on Mr. Yao changed so much after learning about his upbringing and why he is the way he is. This book is dedicated to people who were not good at PE, and it promotes the idea that you don’t have to be good at physical activities to find enjoyment from them. This is what Mia learns over the course of the book as she is bit by soccer fever and learns how to play. The fifth book was published in August, so we are looking forward to starting that next week!

kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

Mia Tang is my hero

jmbq_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

This series just keeps getting better! In this fourth installment, Mia is eager to sign up for a prestigious writing camp, and she's on track to get the all-A report card she needs to apply -- except for PE class, where she's fumbling with playing soccer. With the Women's World Cup coming to the Rose Bowl and the historic women's team from China going up against the US, there's a lot of excitement at school about the upcoming match, so Mia persuades her teacher to raise her grade to an A if she can get an interview with the Chinese team and write an article for the school newspaper.

Based on some of Yang's own experiences as a school reporter, this book really exemplifies what Yang has done throughout the series: addressing racism in constructive ways, developing better communication skills with family and friends, and learning to find compassion for others. All my favorite characters were back, and there was new positive character development for one character who has often been seen as the bad guy. Like the rest of the Front Desk series, I raced through the book, swept up in the action and eager to find out what would happen next.

Not sure if there will be another book in the series as it looks like Mia is on the cusp of going to high school, but I'm here for whatever Kelly Yang writes next.