By Kelly Yang (author)
"Daring to dream, and finding your voice — adorable, unforgettable Mia spurs the good guys of her community into battling bullying corporations"
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Change is afoot for 12-year-old Mia, and this latest novel in Kelly Yang’s exceptional Front Desk series perfectly encapsulates the tricky initial shift from childhood with the author’s characteristic compassion, wisdom and pitch-perfect ability to explore big themes with potent relatability. I can’t recommend this series enough — it’s perfection.
Everything is changing at once for Mia. She’s moved to Middle School, but her best friend Lupe is taking lots of extra classes, which means they don’t get to spend so much time together. And what’s going on with Jason? He’s started acting weird around her, and it’s hard to know how to react. Alongside this, their neighbourhood is changing, with big chains buying up beloved locally-owned stores and restaurants.
In better news, Mia’s mum has qualified to teach maths after overcoming money obstacles and anti-immigrant attitudes (though those attitudes remain), and now she, her family, and adorable Hank, are visiting China for the first time since emigrating to California. To her family’s surprise, China has changed too.
Their relatives are wealthier, but big chains are putting small companies out of business there, too. Mia is also hurt by some of her relatives’ sexist, colourist remarks. All of which adds up to a poignant, comprehensible portrayal of the problems of globalisation, and issues arising from being of two cultures — it can be hard to feel like you belong anywhere.
Back in California, escalating problems with a developer sniffing around their community-owned motel sees Mia fight the big, bad bullies in the best way she knows — with her wit, love, and pen. As Lupe likes to say, “You can’t win if you don’t play!” Led by Mia, the Calivista Motel community throw themselves into the high-stakes game, with beautiful results. The world would be a better place with more Mias in it, and more writers like Kelly Yang.
Mia Tang is going for her dreams: 1. She's finally going on holiday to see her family - in China! 2. She's taking on the big motel next door. 3. She is sure that her plans to be a big write are about to reach the next level. But, things around Mia are changing; in the town and even in her friendships... Can she and her motel survive?
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The third book in the bestselling Front Desk series by award-winning author Kelly Yang.
Kelly Yang is the author of Front Desk , which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Kelly’s family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of her main character. She eventually left the motels and went to college at the age of 13 and is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School.
She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia and the United States. Her writing has been published in the South China Morning Post, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic.
Follow her on Instagram @kellyyanghk
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Mia Tang is going for her dreams: 1. She's finally going on holiday to see her family - in China! 2.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Room To Dream and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Room To Dream features in the following genres: Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Recommendations, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Paperback. Not Available.
Room To Dream was written by Kelly Yang and published by Knights Of Media
Room To Dream has 384 pages
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