What would you do if you ran the front desk of a motel? That is what Mia Tang, manager of the Calivista Motel is doing! Mia came to the United States from China when was eight years old, and she and her parents are working as the staff for the Calivista Motel, in Anaheim, California. Mia is very proud to manage the front desk, from giving keys away to talking to the weeklies. Unfortunately, Mia and her parents are working for Mr. Yao, the motel manager whose heart is as hard as coal. Mr. Yao is unfair and always rips her parents off of their hard-earned money cleaning the motel. He also has an annoying son named Jason, who seems to think he is better than she is, and is in her 5th grade class.

 However, she can push all these problems aside for now, because she is starting her first day of school! She can't wait to learn math, hang out with friends and not grumpy customers, and act like a normal American girl! Mia is pretty good at math, just like her mom wants her to be, but would rather be good at English! She could write for newspapers, travel all over the USA, and maybe visit China, where her whole life was, with her cousin Shen and grandparents. She has got a pen, and she can't wait to use it! On her way home, she meets Lupe Garcia, a Mexican girl who seems really smart, and the typical American girl. Mia feels left out, with her parents washing and cleaning the motel rooms, and not owning a house or a dog. She wants to fit in, just like the cool girls, Bethany Brett and all the rest. She doesn’t wear cool jeans on her legs or a fancy house with a million servants. But what if there was a way to change all that?

There is an old couple who live in Vermont, and who are having an essay contest to see who would own their motel! This could be Mia’s chance to get off the poor rollercoaster, and onto the rich rollercoaster! This essay could not only help her and her family living the American Dream, but help her with her English and be known as not just the Chinese girl, but the cool girl who always fits in. As Mia struggles through school as a first generation immigrant, trying to keep her head above the surface while her classmates are swimming lengths. Can she manage all of her school classes, and help out with the motel, all while keeping her family together?

I love this story because it shows the life of a 10 year old girl who is trying to learn how to fit in, even as life throws many obstacles in her way. Mia will have to get through all the people who say her writing will never be good enough, and learn more about immigrants, and how hard they have to work to live the dream. This book is a heartwarming story about how one girl will change so many people’s minds, all while staying true to herself.