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?

Thank You from Kelly Yang

Kelly Yang is the New York Times bestselling author of FRONT DESK, winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature, PARACHUTES (YA debut novel, May 2020, Harpercollins) and THREE KEYS (Front Desk Sequel, Sept 2020, Scholastic). FRONT DESK is Kelly's award-winning middle grade debut novel about a 10 year old Chinese American immigrant girl who manages the front desk of a motel while her parents clean the rooms. FRONT DESK was awarded the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, the Parents' Choice Gold Medal, is the 2019 Global Read Aloud, and has earned numerous other honors including being named an Amazon Best Book of the Year, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, a NPR Best Book of the Year, and a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year.

For more information about Kelly Yang, visit her webpage.

Votes cast for each title:

Front Desk                                                                       648

Small Spaces                                                                   533

Ban This Book                                                                 424

Chester and Gus                                                             291

Bob                                                                                   281

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret                       263

Saving Winslow                                                              245

Junior Ninja Champion: The Competition Begins    160

Nowhere Boy                                                                   128

Finding Langston                                                             94

Thisby Thestoop and the Black Mountain                   88

The Season of Styx Malone                                           85

 Thank you to everyone who read and voted!

2023 SASQUATCH AWARD NOMINEES

The Sasquatch Committee is excited to announce the nominees for 2022-2023!

2022 Sasquatch Award Nominees