Front Desk by Kelly Yang and All the Ways You Can Teach It!

 Mia Tang runs a motel, writes letters to fight injustice, and dreams in two languages. The first time I book talked this book, a student asked me to stop so she could go check it out before any of the other students did! That's how you know.

A Brief Summary

Mia and her parents, immigrants from China, work at a motel owned by mean Mr. Yao, a man who mistreats pretty much everyone.  As motel owners, Mia's parents are often asked by friends to put up other immigrant families; they let them stay in some of the empty rooms for free.  

Which would create a huge mess if Mr. Yao found out.  The "regulars" don't tell, and Mia learns a lot about her parents' integrity through their generous hearts.

In school, Mia has her own challenges.  She's not a native English speaker, and she struggles to articulate the injustices she sees around her.  With the help of her friends, she writes letters to people in charge to see if some of these injustices can be corrected.  You'll cheer her on as her determination grows, and her words begin to make an impact.

This book tackles some heavy themes about living in poverty, extortion, loan sharks, belonging, perseverance, and speaking up.  It's told matter-of-factly, something that many of your students will appreciate.  They will cheer Mia's determination, grit, and positive mindset, and reading the book will generate many important discussions in your classroom.

Although the book is not an autobiography, Kelly Lang lived this story as a child, which provides some of the emotional honesty you read in the book.

• For a closer look at the story, read my original review here. 

Why This Book Works for 5th, 6th, and 7th Grades

• This book is comfortably readable by 5th and 6th graders, and it's thematically rich enough for 7th grade, too.  It will generate good discussions!
• It's realistic fiction with a plot that moves, and students will want to keep going
• Mia makes mistakes, keeps trying, and grows, all of which are highly relatable for this age range
• The immigrant experience is told from the inside, not from an outsider's observation, which gives students who share that background a rare moment of recognition and builds empathy in those who don't
• Short chapters make it manageable for reluctant readers and easy to pace for class discussion
• It's a natural fit for any time of year

ELA Skills that Come Naturally From the Book

Many strong ELA elements can be taught from this book.  Here are just a few:

• Character development and change - Mia's arc is clear and traceable
• Theme - multiple themes running simultaneously; rich for discussion and writing
• Inference - Kelly Yang shows rather than tells; students have to read between the lines
• Figurative language - the book has many strong examples throughout
• Point of view - first-person narration with an unreliable emotional lens
• Text-dependent questions and evidence - the plot gives students a lot to support with textual evidence
• Response to literature - Mia's letters within the story are natural mentor texts for argumentative writing

Three Ways to Use the Book

1. Whole class novel study -  read aloud or independent reading with structured response activities
2. Small group or literature circle - works well as one of several books running simultaneously (perhaps themed around immigration, persistence and grit, or facing injustice)
3. Book talk and independent reading - this was my personal approach; I didn't have time to read it aloud when it first came out, so I book-talked it and let students pass it around

I created a novel study guide for Front Desk when I saw how much my students enjoyed it, and in preparation for the following year, so that I could use it in small groups.  The novel study includes: lesson plans, literary analysis, text-dependent questions, graphic organizers, response to literature prompts, background knowledge videos, and an answer key with sample responses.  Just print and go!

If you'd like to be ready with everything you need on Day 1, without needing to start from scratch, the planning work is already done.  Grab it below and be ready to go when your students open to the first page.

There are two versions available:

Front Desk Novel Study Guide

Front Desk Novel Study Guide with accompanying BOOM Cards for figurative language

Mia Tang believes in the power of words to change things. Turns out, so do a lot of your students.  They just need the right book to show them.