Tag Archives: family

Review: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,
Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Front Desk (Front Desk #1)
Kelly Yang
Arthur A. Levine Books
Published May 29, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Front Desk

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?

My Review

I am amazed at how much Kelly Yang successfully weaves into this short novel. It’s under 300 pages, and the plot moves along at a reasonable pace. I felt like I got to know some of the motel residents, Mia’s family, and her friends from school.

During the story, Mia begins writing letters. She writes to someone’s potential employer. She writes to an employer who has been abusing his workers, demanding that he give back the passport and ID card to the worker. Her letters make a difference, even while Mia’s mom keeps reminding her that she wasn’t born in America, and that she’ll never speak “native English,” like the people who were. Mia’s letters prove that her voice matters, and her words have power, despite the other messages in her life.

Mia is also a first-class community builder. She connects with the motel residents, those there for a short while and those who stay much longer. She reaches out to the other business owners around the motel. Soon the Calivista is known up and down the coast.

Some parts of the book are sad. Her parents’ employer is cruel and takes advantage of them. Kids at school make fun of her for her clothes and her identity. She witnesses racial prejudice against a Black man who lives at the motel. Someone attacks another person, leaving them injured and bleeding. Mia is the first to find and help them.

But those sad moments only make Mia’s triumphs more impactful. They show the depth of her spirit and the strength of her heart. By the end of the book, I was cheering for her and her family. I definitely want to read more of this series.

One of the amazing things about the series is that the author drew inspiration for Mia’s story from her own experiences helping manage a motel with her parents when she was Mia’s age. This explains the story’s 1990s setting, too.

This is a great fit for readers looking for pre-2000s novels, especially middle grade books on the shorter side.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Two instances of mild profanity. A few instances of racist comments.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A drunk man scares Mia. One scene shows someone who has been attacked by two people. (The attack happens off scene.) References to threats from loan sharks.

Drug Content
A drunk man scares Mia. He’s quickly dealt with.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Ramin Abbas has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ramin Abbas has MAJOR Questions
Ahmad Saber
Atheneum Books
Published March 3, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ramin Abbas has MAJOR Questions

An intensely brave, beautifully honest, and wryly funny story about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or his faith—and his realization that maybe they aren’t as separate as he thought.

Ramin Abbas has spent his whole life obeying his parents, his Imam, and, of course, Allah—no questions asked. But when he starts crushing on the ridiculously handsome captain of the soccer team, so many things he’d always been so sure about are becoming questions:

1. Music is haram. But what if the Wicked soundtrack is the only thing keeping you sane because you’re being forced to play on the soccer team? With Captain Handsome?!

2. A boy crush is double haram, and Ramin’s parents will never accept it. But can he really be the only Muslim on Earth who feels this way?

3. Allah is merciful and makes no mistakes. Then isn’t Ramin just the way Allah intended him to be?

And so why should living your truth but losing everything—or living a lie and losing yourself—have to be a choice?!

My Review

I really appreciate that authors are writing stories that boldly ask hard questions about the intersection of faith and identity. These kinds of questions aren’t easy to answer, no matter what age someone might be, and it’s easy to oversimplify or lean on easy answers when those answers don’t directly impact one personally.

I think it’s also brave to write a novel featuring a protagonist who still feels positively about his faith despite having questions. That’s a real experience that a lot of people are having, and to find that reverently reflected in literature is so important.

Ramin is a perfect protagonist for a story like this. His relationships with his family members are tense and complicated by grief. He attends a private school for Muslim students, which is an experience many readers may not be directly familiar with, but I thought the descriptions and situations would be easy for anyone familiar with other private religious institutions to understand.

In the course of the story, he joins a soccer team and finds a place among the players. This gives the story some additional structure and offers more experience that will resonate with readers.

I also really appreciate that through the course of the novel, Ramin encounters lots of different views on practicing Islam. Some views were more restrictive, while others challenged his thinking. Ramin began to examine different parts of his faith alongside one another. He began to question whether ideas that appeared contradictory were a paradox or evidence of a need to update his ideas. I love the sensitivity with which the author explored these topics.

If you enjoyed The Golden Boys Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes or Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian, add this remarkable debut to your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Vague reference to sex. Brief mention of masturbation in the context of asking if it’s permissible in Islam.

Spiritual Content
References to some verses in the Quran. References to daily prayer practice. Ramin is a person of deep personal faith. He speaks with the Imam, asking questions about the intersection of faith and identity. He wrestles with questions about Allah’s love and judgment for sinners.

Violent Content
References to harsh judgment for sinners, such as having boiling lead poured into their ears. Some homophobic comments and statements. A student threatens to out Ramin. In an angry outburst, Ramin kicks a soccer ball through a window.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: Mythspeaker by Christopher Roubique

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Mythspeaker
Christopher Roubique
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published February 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Mythspeaker

For fans of Race to the Sun and the Aru Shah series, this epic fantasy adventure inspired by Indigenous American mythology follows a band of misfit children who must pull off an impossible heist in order to save the world!

Thanks to a prophecy revealed when he was little, thirteen-year-old Kyta always knew that he was destined to save the world. But waiting for that moment has kept him on edge his whole childhood, preventing him from having fun like other kids in his tribe. So when the ground quakes and the trees whisper that something is wrong, Kyta leaps into action, desperate to fulfill his destiny.

He is horrified to find that the precious Egg of the World Turtle, on whose vast shell everyone and everything lives, has been stolen by invaders. The Turtle is angry and grief-stricken, threatening to upend the very land under their feet. The invaders refuse to heed the warning of the tribes and return the Egg . . . so Kyta comes up with a plan to steal it back!

It’s risky and dangerous . . . but abandoning the Egg is certain doom. Kyta assembles other kids who could sneak into the invaders’ fortress and pull off the heist, but getting four very different personalities to work together is harder than he thought. And when they discover that the Egg is being guarded by an evil collector, his savage ogres, and a beast so terrible that it defies description, their odds seem all but impossible! Will Kyta be able to fulfill his destiny, or did he set himself up to fail . . . and the world to fall?

Inspired by the Indigenous American folktales, this thrilling and heartwarming fantasy shows the importance of teamwork, respect for nature, and believing in yourself.

My Review

I love that the writing in this novel feels so much like folklore storytelling. The narrative offers just enough information about each character and anchors the story in a myth-saturated world, where anything feels possible.

The book reminded me a little bit of Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson. It has a similar high-stakes mythical story that connects to spiritual beliefs about the world’s origins and ecological values.

In Mythspeaker, Kyta learns that he must not only trust the destiny he’s been given, but he must learn to also trust his team members, even when their ideas or talents are different than his. I thought the character development for the team members was nicely done. Each one contributed something specific, and it was easy to tell the characters apart because their personalities were so unique.

The story touches on some environmental themes about how the drive of greed to own or capture things causes far-reaching harm. While the lesson might be a bit blunt in its presentation, the fantastical elements and memorable characters make it easy to invest in the outcome.

I’m adding this story to my list of read-aloud possibilities to read with my eight-year-old. I think she will enjoy the different characters’ personalities, the high-stakes adventure, and the humorous moments.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Kyta encounters several supernatural beings he refers to as “living myths.” The story is inspired by Indigenous American mythology and spirituality.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A leader of a group of people wants to steal/own precious things, even if doing so kills them and endangers or ends the world.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: The Greenies by Emma Mills

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

The Greenies (The Greenies #1)
Emma Mills
Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers
Published March 3, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Greenies

The Baby-Sitters Club meets The Breakfast Club in this fun and fresh graphic novel about a girl who reluctantly joins the Environmental Club at her new school–and finds friendship and community where she least expects it.

After her parents’ divorce, seventh grader Violet is forced to start all over.

Now the new kid, at a new school, in a new town, she must navigate unfamiliar territory. Luckily, Violet falls in with a new group of (maybe?) friends. But when they wind up in detention, they’re forced to join the under-attended Environmental Club—and mischief ensues. What will become of this rag-tag group?

Fans of Raina Telgemeier will love this hilarious and heartfelt story about making friends, making mistakes, and making it up as you go along—until you end up just where you were meant to be.

My Review

I’ve been a fan of Emma Mills for years. Her young adult novels always have really engaging characters and memorable friendships. When I saw that she was writing this middle grade graphic novel, I immediately jumped at the chance to review it.

Just like her other stories, this one boasts realistic, memorable relationships. When Violet starts going to a new school, she only knows her quirky cousin (ask her to tell you about Jupiter). Pretty quickly, though, she makes some new friends. Her new friends have history with each other that Violet doesn’t know about, which creates some interesting tension in the group.

The description comparing this book to The Breakfast Club is spot-on, though there’s far less angst here. Overall this is a fun collision of characters who reluctantly pull together as part of an after-school environmental club. Perfect for readers interested in an upbeat friendship tale.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Violet’s cousin tells her a rumor about a zombie eighth grader roaming the closed-off fourth floor.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1)
Tracy Deonn
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published September 15, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Legendborn

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so-called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

My Review

This series has been on my reading list for a long time, but I finally made the time to read Legendborn this year. I’d heard great things about it, so I was excited to get straight into the story.

Right away, I loved Bree. She’s still processing her mom’s sudden death, which happened right before the story began. All the way through the story, she’s driven by this yearning to connect to her mom, to understand what happened, and why. I found that intensely relatable.

The magical world that she infiltrates is deeply ritualistic and tradition-centric, and very white, as you might expect from something based on King Arthur and his knights. I loved the way that Tracy Deonn unapologetically relates Bree’s experience as a Black girl in those spaces. Connecting that history down through the American colonies and the Confederacy, all the way to Bree’s present, gave the story a rich, sometimes painful, context.

I also love the character arcs between Bree, Nick, and Selwyn. I think I know where the story is headed, and I love that the shifts in the relationships feel natural and experiential. I’m so eager to read more of this series. All the praise I’ve heard has been well-deserved.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Several different branches of magical ability exist and are conducted in different ways. One group borrows power from ancestors, repaying it with their own energy or sacrifices. Another group steals power from elsewhere, accruing a debt that will someday come due.

A line of magic wielders descended from King Arthur and his knights continues to use magic to fight demons who slip through gates from other worlds.

Violent Content
Brief racist statements and microaggressions. References to a car accident that killed Bree’s mom. (Happens off scene.) Situations of peril. Battles against creatures called demons made of dark magic from another world. References to assault (not shown on scene).

Drug Content
References to drinking alcohol at formal social gatherings.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn

Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , , ,

Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo
Àlàbá Ònájìn
Holiday House
Published February 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo

A charismatic young sleuth takes on a case close to home in this new graphic novel series set in a vibrant African community.

Ten-year-old Korobá knows everyone in Makoko, the Nigerian fishing village where she lives.

She knows her way up and down the bright, colorful waterways, knows where to sell fried shrimp, and knows what to look for at the crowded daily market. Makoko is her playground, and she roams free with her best friends, Saidat and Joba, and her adorable dog, Popi.

The last thing Korobá would expect in Makoko is a thief. Yet Saidat’s wooden piggy bank—her Kolo—has been stolen. The children of Makoko save coins in their Kolo all year long, waiting to spend their money at the annual harvest festival. Saidat saved and saved, but now she will have nothing. It’s not fair!

Korobá knows what good detectives do…(sort of?). Should the primary suspect be Saidat’s grumpy cousin, visiting on vacation? Or could it be the village carpenter, who has been doing some work on Saidat’s house? It’s up to Detective Korobá to catch the thief and find the missing Kolo before Breaking Day!

Buckle up, budding mystery fans… It’s time to join Korobá and friends on their thrilling chase for the culprit. With rich, detailed illustrations—featuring some very important clues—that bring Makoko to life, this one-of-a-kind graphic novel series is a modern day Tintin meets Encyclopedia Brown.

My Review

I love that this mystery cleverly introduces readers to a tradition in Makoko, a Nigerian fishing village. Children save money in a decorated box all year and break the box open before an annual festival to buy the things they need for the year. This sets up some interesting stakes, because it’s not just a child’s money that is stolen, though that would be horrible. Saidat’s year of savings is taken, and with it, her ability to buy much-needed items for the coming year.

Korobá and her friends juggle family responsibilities with seeking clues and chasing leads to unravel the mystery of the missing Kolo. The pacing was nicely done, and the clues came together organically, so that the resolution made perfect sense while maintaining enough mystery throughout to keep readers guessing.

Many pages were made up of a single panel, and several times, a two-page spread shows a detailed view of a scene, including the market and parts of the city. The illustrations are engaging and help give context to the story.

Perfect for mystery fans and readers interested in international settings.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 7 to 11.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Someone steals a Kolo, a piggy bank full of money, from a child.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.