Front Desk, by Kelly Yang & Watercress, by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin

 

Mia and her mom and dad dream of a new future when they come to the United States from China. But when they finally secure jobs as the caretakers of a motel, life is not what they hoped. The motel’s owner, Mr. Yao, does not keep his promises about anything, making it extremely difficult for Mia and her family to keep themselves or the motel going. Mia’s contribution to the family effort is working the front desk while her parents clean. Her indomitable spirit gives her the energy to identify not only ways to improve the motel but to reach out to people who seem to have it even harder than they do. She cultivates her new skills in English by writing letters advocating to correct injustices she observes, and she even enters a writing contest to win a motel of her own so they will no longer need to tolerate Mr. Yao. In the chapter book Front Desk, author Kelly Yang perfectly captures the voices of Mia, her parents, and the friendly long-term motel residents. Memorable moments pepper the story, and readers will celebrate Mia’s spirited actions as she tries and tries again to bring an even playing field to the Calivista Motel. Set in 1990s California, Front Desk does not shy away from difficult themes in immigration, poverty and prejudice, yet the narrative is graced with humor. Mia’s indomitable spirit, as she both succeeds and stumbles, provides bridges to understanding and empathy, resulting in an excellent story for middle grade readers. Ages 8-12. Alfred A. Levine Books / Scholastic, 2018.

Rendered with both delicacy and strength, the picture book Watercress depicts the experience of a young girl as she struggles to engage in harvesting the stringy, green watercress spotted by the side of the road by her parents. She refuses to eat it, even when it is prepared with garlic and sesame seeds by her China-born parents. But soon her parents are sharing stories from their childhood—memories both hard and happy, with harvesting watercress among them. Author Andrea Wang bases her gentle narrative on her own experience growing up in the Midwest as a child of Chinese immigrants. In an author’s note, she encourages adults to share stories of their growing-up times, an important part of family heritage no matter what that history is. Illustrator Jason Chin states in an artist’s note how he sought to convey the many-layered aspects of the story in his sensitive watercolors, for which he received the Caldecott Medal. Ages- 4-8. Neal Porter Books / Holiday House, 2021. 

For ideas about other good books:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/asian-americans-and-moments-in-peoples-history/