Room to Dream

It's been fun seeing how Mia's voice and emotional maturity develops over the course of this series, and I hope that there will be an opportunity for Yang to pivot this series to YA over time. This one dealt with tricky subjects like visiting your home country, differing speeds of economic development, family expectations, gentrification, and everything related to middle school.

Aw I just love Mia so much, truly a top-tier middle grade narrator. I loved reading that this was partly based on the author's life–like truthfully when Mia got the column in the China Kids Gazette so quickly I thought it was a little over the top but in a way that I'm willing to forgive in fiction, but apparently it happened pretty much just like that for Kelly Yang when she visited China as a kid. Good for Kelly and for Mia!

Anyway I just think all of these books are so good at showing the ways big picture problems such as immigration laws and capitalism affect kids and showing both that they are basically insurmountable AND YET finding basically plausible ways for kid-led community action to actually have an impact and I just think that's so important! Front Desk #4 Mia Overthrows The Government! FUCK THEM UP, MIA