This Author Is Taking on Topics Like Gentrification and Belonging

When Kelly Yang first introduced readers to Mia Tang in her debut novel Front Desk in 2018, she knew she wanted to create a story that included the full spectrum of experiences a Chinese American middle schooler in the early 1990s would face. Yang’s own childhood growing up and working part-time in the motel her parents ran heavily influenced Mia’s story and her character’s journey adapting to life in the United States.

“As an author, I’m always striving to portray experiences and journeys as authentically as I can, and for me, that includes feeling in between worlds sometimes as an immigrant,” Yang told the FBomb in an email. Since Front Desk’s publication, Yang has continued Mia’s story in last year’s Three Keys, in which the teen sees the impact of California’s 1994 anti-immigrant Proposition 187. Her latest book, Room to Dream, explores gentrification and belonging and was released in September by Scholastic.

We had the chance to chat with Yang over email about Room to Dream, what it is like writing such a personal series, and dealing with adults who are uncomfortable with diverse stories.

You’ve said before that the Front Desk series is highly autobiographical. What has it been like to share your childhood growing up in a motel with the world and seeing how readers respond to Mia?

It’s been magical sharing my childhood memories growing up in a motel, an experience I always kept a secret growing up, and then seeing the response! Countless children have written to me saying how they see themselves in Mia Tang and her struggle, how because of the Front Desk series, they opened up to a friend at school about their life. I find that the most rewarding gift of all!

In Room to Dream, Mia and her family go on their first-ever vacation to visit family members in China. Mia then goes through what many immigrant children sometimes experience in that she wonders if she is “Chinese enough.” Why was it important for you to include that in this book? What is your advice for other second-generation Americans who are going through those same emotions?

I’ll never forget what it was like stepping off the plane to Beijing when I was 12 years old. All the butterflies in my stomach. Flushing hard when I said the wrong thing in Chinese, and all my relatives laughed. It was really important for me to portray all of that: the nerves, vulnerability, insecurity, and joy, wonder, and excitement ... My advice to kids going through similar feelings is it’s OK to feel in between worlds. Take pride in the fact that we’re a part of both cultures. We can be a bridge. And that’s a very powerful thing!

Your books have also always taken on big issues like immigration, discrimination, and, in Room to Grow, gentrification. Can you talk a little about how these issues have always affected kids like Mia and how the adults in their lives should talk to them about “serious” topics?

I think kids want to know about what’s going on in the world. And Mia is a great example of a kid who loves asking questions. Sometimes the adults around will tell her no or that this is just the way it is, we just have to accept it, but Mia makes up her own mind. And that’s what I love about her. She uses her voice to affect change. Through the Front Desk series, I hope that more kids are similarly empowered to use their voices to speak up and make the world a brighter place.

On a related note, some parents really don’t like books that depict the realities of racism and gentrification. In fact, Front Desk has been challenged as inappropriate for kids at a few schools around the country. What would you say to parents and teachers who think these topics are too advanced for preteens?

Great question. In fact, Front Desk was recently banned in a school district in New York, and with the help of parents, teachers, and librarians all speaking out against the ban, resulting in a public outcry on Twitter, the ban was overturned! To all the parents who worry about books that depict the realities of racism or the immigrant experience, or gentrification, I would say the reason we send our kids to school is to prepare them for the world. The world is full of people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. This isn’t something you can deny or change or ban. Reading books like Front Desk helps give kids empathy and understanding — and that’s the most important thing we can give children as educators, librarians, and parents. That’s what’s going to prepare them for the world. So I believe it is essential to provide children windows and mirrors to see themselves represented in a novel and know that their experience is valid. They are valid.

Also, if a book is banned in your district, please speak out about it! There is strength in numbers! You’d be amazed at how many people have your back!