Hello Everyone!
As you may know, a lot of books have come out this fall, and I have reviewed quite a few of them. However, there was one book that I was looking forward to reviewing: “Room To Dream” by Kelly Yang. It is part of her “Front Desk” trilogy. I really liked that book, and you can read my review on that as well. I was excited to know that my mom had ordered Room To Dream. I wanted to know what happened after Three Keys. If you have not read the previous two books, I want to introduce you to Mia Tang, a Chinese American seventh-grader.
The Front Desk is about Mia and her family’s struggle as immigrants in the United States. Her parents work in a motel and have a mean boss named Mr. Yao. Mia is assigned to the front desk of the motel, where she has many adventures. When Mia goes to school, things get harder for her. Mr. Yao’s son, Jason Yao, is in her class and gives her trouble that badly affects Mia. Mr. Yao gets on Mia’s family’s nerves. Mia finds support in her best friend, Lupe, and the motel guard, Hank. The sequel of the Front Desk is Three Keys that talks about the life of Mia Tang after becoming the proud owner of the Callavista Motel and her life in middle school along with the challenges of immigration.
Now I’m going to share with you a book review of Room To Dream.
Mia is still working at the front desk and is looking forward to her trip to China after five years. A lot is happening in her life as Mia continues to have a dream to become a writer. Her best friend Lupe is in honors math and doesn’t have much time to hang out with Mia. Also, Jason is doing well and is currently in a cooking school. He cooks various foods that Mia gets to try. But something happens to Jason before Mia’s trip, and Mia has no idea what to do. December is around the corner, and Mia is excited to go back to China to see her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. She decides to take Hank, who has never been to China. When Mia arrives, China isn’t like how it used to be. The country seemed more advanced and modern. The buildings changed, and so had her family. During her six weeks, Mia decides to write columns for a middle school newspaper in China. She writes about her life in America. Mainly what it’s like to work at a front desk at a motel. The column eventually became a pretty big hit, and Mia received many fan mails. Everything changes when she goes back to America. Lupe started taking classes at the high school, and she was even talking to a college counselor about future plans. Jason was busy realizing his dream to become a chef. The big hotels across the street threaten the small motel business. What will happen to the Callavista Motel? Can Mia save her motel? Read this book AFTER Front Desk and Three Keys to find out.
I wasn’t too much of a fan of Front Desk at first, but in the end, I really liked this book and all the sequels including Room to dream. I highly recommend this book to ages 10 and up. This book talks about teamwork, perseverance, not giving up, friendship, family, and going through changes in life.
Please order this book from your local library or Amazon.