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Summer 2018 Kids Indie Next List
“A well-balanced book that shows one young Chinese girl’s experience of immigrating with her family to California. Funny, heart-wrenching, and innovative, this book shows the difficulties of starting over in a new country in a way that a young reader is able to understand. A great book to open our eyes to the different and sometimes unseen ways people struggle and how we can make the world a better place by being more inclusive and willing to listen to each other’s stories.”
— Jessica Palacios, Once Upon a Time, Montrose, CA
Description
"Four starred reviews
* ""Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages."" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.
Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.
Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.
Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?
It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?"