Three Keys (A Front Desk Novel)

by Kelly Yang

Overview

The story of Mia and her family and friends at the Calivista Motel continues in this powerful, hilarious, and resonant sequel to the award-winning novel Front Desk.

Mia Tang thinks she's going to have the best year ever. She and her parents are the proud owners of the Calivista Motel, Mia gets to run the front desk with her best friend, Lupe, and she's finally getting somewhere with her writing!But as it turns out, sixth grade is no picnic...1. Mia's new teacher doesn't think her writing is all that great. And her entire class finds out she lives and works in a motel! 2. The motel is struggling, and Mia has to answer to the Calivista's many, many worried investors.3. A new immigration law is looming and if it passes, it will threaten everything — and everyone — in Mia's life.It's a roller coaster of challenges, and Mia needs all of her determination to hang on tight. But if anyone can find the key to getting through turbulent times, it's Mia Tang!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338591385
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Series:	Front Desk Series , #2
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	14,872
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kelly Yang is the author of Front Desk, which won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen a Best Book of the Year by multiple publications, including NPR, the Washington Post, and the New York Public Library. 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 Mia Tang. 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. To learn more about her and the Front Desk books, visit frontdeskthebook.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/27/2020

Aspiring writer Mia Tang, 11, returns in this complex yet accessible middle grade novel, the sequel to Yang’s Front Desk. Newly named co-owners of the Calivista Motel in Anaheim, Calif., the Tangs are “on the good rollercoaster now,” having escaped the authoritarian rule of former owner Mr. Yao. But their financial security is not guaranteed, and burgeoning racist sentiments and hate crimes—involving the impending 1994 gubernatorial election and one candidate’s bill proposing to “kick undocumented children out of California schools”—only make matters worse. As Mia and her family and friends face numerous instances of discrimination, they must concurrently inhabit the liminal spaces of being immigrants of color in America, interrogating exactly what it means to believe in justice, fight for their dreams, and belong in a country that seems to resent them. Yang expertly presents resonant themes—including privilege, assimilation, and solidarity—in nuanced ways, providing an entrée into contemporary issues for even the most uninformed young readers. Engaging with a political climate that is similar to current times, Mia is the compassionate, action-driven heroine today’s readers deserve. An author’s note reveals Yang’s personal inspiration and extensive research. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Three Keys:

* "Mia is the compassionate, action-driven heroine today's readers deserve." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Sixth grader Mia Tang returns to battle racism." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "A more-than-worthy sequel, full of hope and heart, even in the darkest of times." -- Booklist, starred review

* "A must-read for 2020." -- Colby Sharp, Co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club

Awards and Praise for Front Desk:

Parents' Choice Gold Medal Fiction Award Winner

NPR Best Books of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year

Washington Post Best Books of the Year

Amazon Best Books of the Year

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Bookpage Best Books of the Year

New York Public Library Best Books of the Year

Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year

Top Ten Debut Novels 2018 -- ALA Booklist

* "Much-needed." -- Booklist, starred review

* "Empowered." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Swiftly-moving." -- School Library Journal, starred review

* "Powerful." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2020-05-17
Sixth grader Mia Tang returns to battle racism in this thrilling sequel to the Asian/Pacific American Award–winning Front Desk (2018).

The Tangs, who emigrated from China when Mia was little, are now the proud owners of the Calivista Motel. Mia works the front desk along with her friends Lupe Garcia, who is Mexican, and Jason Yao, who is Chinese. Her world quickly becomes clouded by the upcoming election, in which California’s Prop 187, which would ban undocumented immigrants from access to health care and public schooling, is on the ballot. The author’s note highlights personal experiences with racism and provides additional information on this historic vote. The storyline expertly weaves together the progress and setbacks Mia experiences as her family continues to work, seemingly endlessly on the edge of poverty. Lupe reveals that her family is undocumented, creating a portrait of fear as her father is jailed. The impending vote has significant consequences for all immigrants, not just the Garcias, as racial threats increase. With the help of a cast of strong supporting characters, Mia bravely uses her voice and her pen to change opinions—with family, friends, teachers, and even voters. The lessons she learns helping her friends become the key to addressing racism, as one wise friend advises: “You gotta listen, you gotta care, and most importantly, you gotta keep trying.”

Don’t miss this brave hero as she confronts anti-immigrant hatred in a timely historical novel. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews