Yang's debut book is about ten-year-old Mia Tang and her family who, after a couple years struggling financially, are hired to manage a motel.

Katya Schapiro, who reviewed for the SLJ, commented on the "light, positive tone" Yang maintains in the book about the heavy themes, as well as the "satisfying dose of wish fulfillment that closes the story".

"[2] Writing for The Horn Book, Roxanne Hsu Feldman says "[r]eaders will admire Mia for her audacity and her creativity in finding solutions for seemingly insurmountable situations."

"[3] In a review by Publishers Weekly, Front Desk's story is called "one of indefatigable hope and of triumph over injustice, and [Mia's] voice is genuine and inspiring.

According to Yang, a parent wrote a letter saying the book was being used to teach critical race theory to the students, as well as portraying police officers as racists.