Inside Out and Back Again meets Millicent Min, Girl Genius in this
timely, hopeful middle-grade novel with a contemporary Chinese twist.
Mia Tang has a lot of secrets: Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a
big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms,
ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and
tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if
the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them
stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3:
She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she
should stick to math because English is not her first language?
It will take all of
Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will
she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests,
escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?