front desk

Another of our favorite middle grade books this year!

Mia Tang doesn’t lead a typical life.  She lives in a motel with her immigrant parents and manages the front desk.  Her hard-working parents have to deal with the cruel, heartless owner Mr. Yao and his unjust ways.  They take compassion on struggling immigrants by hiding them in the empty rooms of the motel, which they desperately need to keep secret from him.  Meanwhile, Mia is pressing on towards her dream of becoming a writer despite the fact that she’s still working on mastering English in school.  Her story is one of determination, taking risks, forming meaningful friendships and taking care of one’s community.  We’ve loved getting to know Mia—her tremendous heart, unwavering courage, selflessness and diligence were so inspiring and left a huge impression on us.

“I hope when children step into this story, that it opens their eyes and fills their hearts.  I hope it gives them empathy for people from all different backgrounds and walks of life.  I hope it gives them the courage to stand up to injustice when they see it.  Most of all, I hope it gives them the hope that we can get through anything, if we don’t give in to fear.” — from author Kelly Yang

Front Desk was written by Kelly Yang and published by Scholastic.  It’ll be out on May 29 and is available for pre-order now.  And, we’re giving away an ARC of Front Desk.  This giveaway is open to US residents and ends Sunday, May 6, at 11:00 PM PDT.  Head over to this Instagram post to enter.

be prepared

Verusik (aka Vera) is excited to go to Russian summer camp, where she feels she’ll finally fit in.  But nothing prepares her for the fact that her tentmates are five years older than her, and there’s no electricity and...no plumbing.  It’s going to be a long two weeks.  Brilliant writing, incredible art and very real moments of trying to fit in and figure things out.  This is our first book by Vera Brosgol and we’re blown away — she’s truly a master of her craft.

Be Prepared was written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol and published by First Second Books.

the house that lou built + giveaway

One of our favorite middle grade books this year!!! 🔨

Twelve-year-old Lou Bulosan-Nelson has a dream — to build a house of her own.  Not just any house — a 100-square-foot tiny house.  A “just right” space to get away to when she’s in need of some peace and quiet.  Lou’s hopeful plans are to build her house on some land inherited from her dad.  It’s not long, though, before she and her carefully-drafted blueprints run into a couple of obstacles.  It’s time to “seize the day” (one of Lou’s favorite mottos) and make things happen!

This book means so much to me.  It means so much to welcome another Filipino American voice to kidlit, and a character whose experiences are similar to my own — the language, culture, hospitality, community and loud, boisterous togetherness — it’s all there.  Mae Respicio’s writing is fresh and funny with beautiful moments that will resonate with all readers about family, friends, and the intangible things that make a house a home.  I hope you’ll welcome this story into your heart as I have and I hope you’ll love getting to know creative, resourceful, observant and lovable Lou.  You can read an excerpt from The House That Lou Built here.

The House That Lou Built was written by Mae Respicio and published by Wendy Lamb Books (Random House Children's Books).  It’ll be out on June 12 and is available for pre-order now.  And, we’re giving away an ARC of The House That Lou Built!  This giveaway is open to US residents and ends Sunday, April 22, at 11:00 PM PDT.  Head over to this Instagram post to enter.

the ostrich and other lost things

As someone who has people with autism in her life, I’m drawn to stories like THE OSTRICH AND OTHER LOST THINGS.  It’s written from the perspective of a sister whose older brother has autism.  Olivia is the (incredibly) observant type — she notices everything and everyone and no detail seems to escape her watchful eye.  She’s extraordinarily good at finding things — objects and belongings that people in her life misplace.  There’s one lost thing that eludes her, though — her brother Jacob’s beloved ostrich that she has not been able to find for months.  She feels like it has something to do with his worsening behavior which is odd, unpredictable and more often than not embarrassing.

Olivia craves normalcy and wants to carve out a space of her own, apart from being “Jacob’s sister.”  We experience her frustration, ongoing grief and her feeling of being “closed in” as she deals with her brother’s profound differences and the restrictions that they impose on her life.  We learn about how love is different when you have a person with autism in your family—it’s still there, just felt and expressed in ways you wouldn’t expect.  I love author Beth Hautala’s words — “We are all a little bit lost and a little bit found.” In our case, we’re glad to have found this heartfelt and meaningful story.

The Ostrich and Other Lost Things was written by Beth Hautala and published by Philomel Books.