2026
Bridges to Belonging
Front Desk
Kelly Yang
Audience:
Middle Grades
Based on the author's real-life experience, Kelly Yang's award-winning novel follows 10-year-old Mia Tang, a recent Chinese immigrant whose family manages a rundown motel in California. While facing poverty, racism, and the unfairness of the American Dream, Mia bravely takes on the role of front desk manager—but her real job is building a community. Front Desk illustrates "Bridges to Belonging" as Mia, her parents, and the long-term tenants ("weeklies") transform the Calivista Motel into a sanctuary for close friends. Through compassion and courage, they stand up for one another against injustice, proving that a sense of belonging is a powerful force created not by wealth or status, but by kindness, solidarity, and finding your voice to fight for those who need a place to call home.
About the Author
Kelly Yang is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Front Desk series, New From Here, Finally Seen, Finally Heard, the young adult novels Parachutes and Private Label, the forthcoming adult novel The Take, and picture books Yes We Will and Little Bird Laila. Based on Kelly’s childhood experience living and working in a motel as a first-generation immigrant child from China, her debut novel Front Desk was named "one of the best books of the 21st century" by Kirkus Reviews. Her books have earned multiple awards, including the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, the California Young Reader Medal, the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal, the Strega Prize for literature in Italy, and have featured on multiple best of the year lists, including Amazon Best Book of the Year, Washington Post Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, NPR Best Book of the Year, and Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year. Kelly immigrated to the United States when she was six years old and grew up in Southern California. She went to university at the age of 13 and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. Today, she and her family live in Los Angeles.
