Kelly Yang

"Front Desk" is a masterpiece by Kelly Yang. This novel, based on the real life events and people in her childhood is thrilling, empathic, and a journey through a world that a white, non-immigrant, like myself may never have known about or appreciated without this story. Yang has opened my eyes to her trials and tribulations through her main character, Mia. I learned so much about privilege from reading "Front Desk" and I highly recommend this book to anyone that would like to feel seen by Yang's bravery to tell this story as well as anyone who would like to broaden their horizons on immigrants in the United States and how racism plays a huge part in their oppression.

Yang brings these delicate and divisive topics to light in a way that is accessible and non-threatening to the reader. I highly recommend this book!… (plus d'informations)

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Lina is incredibly embarrassed and totally not ready for the changes in her body. She needs some confidence and wishes she had her own phone and social media like everyone else, except for one of her two best friends. Then Lina's mom starts posting videos on social media to increase her bath bomb business and Lina is impressed! It's really taking off and Lina and her friends want to be a part of it! Lina, Finn, and Carla brainstorm ideas for more videos. That night, Lina's sister and mom use one of Lina's ideas for a video and it goes viral! Lina doesn't want to miss out. She and her friends brainstorm more ideas, record them during lunch, and share them with Lina's mom to post. It's going so well that other small business owners hire them to make videos for their businesses too. Lina's mom is impressed and gives Lina her old phone. Finally, she has her own! She joins some of the social media apps but is really surprised by what's out there. Lina's classmates have so much more money than she does, and now she knows it. What's worse, she can never un-learn the things she's seen, even when they make Lina jealous, mad, or insecure. Will Lina ever come to terms with her changing body and the things she's seen on social media?

Setting: LA

Characters:
Lina Gao - 10 yo, 5th grade, going through puberty, wearing sweatshirts to hide her boobs, classmate thinks she smells, embarrassed by the changes and worried her mom can't afford deodorant and bras but also not ready mentally for it
Carla - Lina's BFF, dad died when younger, last one without a phone
Finn - Lina's BFF,
Millie - Lina's younger sister,
Mom - has tons of personality and drive, doesn't use perfect English grammar in her videos because English is not her first language

Recurring Themes: immigrant, rich vs. poor, puberty, honesty, friendship, social media (dangers, impact, mental health, science), embarrassment, honesty, vulnerability

Controversial Issues: puberty (calls them boobs)

Personal Thoughts: I did not love the way the book was written although I've enjoyed other books by this author. I thought there were times it was a little preachy and it was slightly slow,. HOWEVER, this book is also so incredibly important for kids (and parents) to read! There are so many things to discuss. You did not need to have read Finally Seen in order to understand this book, although there are many references to things that happened in that book.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: medium-slow, not super suspenseful, character-based
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This was a very quick, but intense read, and very well written. I, almost immediately, became attached to the main characters, Claire and Dani, which made some parts very hard to read. This is a story that addresses sexual assault and the efforts people with money and power will do to keep those victims silent, especially when it involves people with influence and money. I highly recommend this book, but please take care of yourself, if you find yourself overwhelmed while reading this book.

I will continue to read everything that Kelly Yang writes.… (plus d'informations)