Front Desk (Front Desk, #1) QUOTES

4 " So what'd you write about?'

'I wrote about how last weekend my parents and I waited in line at the movies for an hour, and when we finally got up to the ticket booth lady, they were sold out! Isn't that sad?'

'That is super sad,' I said, wishing, hoping, one day that would be my super sad. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

5 " You know what you are in English? You’re a bicycle, and the other kids are cars. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

6 " Sometimes a mistake is actually an opportunity, but we just can't see it right then and there" -Dad "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

7 " We’re immigrants,” she said. “Our lives are never fair. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

8 " Just because you have an important job doesn’t mean you’re better than everybody else. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

9 " The next school day, I went very early to school to put the letter on Lupe’s desk. I also had something special for Jason—but it wasn’t the letter I wrote him. It was something else I had picked up recently from another Chinese immigrant. When I was helping this uncle with his luggage, I had pulled too hard and got a blister on my hand. The man said he had just the thing, and gave me a little vial of Chinese medicine. It felt minty and cool on my finger, but when I reached up to tuck my bangs behind my ear, my minty finger got a little too close to my eye. I was crying in seconds. So after I set Lupe’s letter down on her desk, I practically soaked Jason’s pencils with the same stuff that had made me cry. Let’s see him twirl these suckers now! Jason did not notice the gleam on his pencils when he sat down later that morning. He was too busy bragging about Las Vegas and all the great food he ate and the luxurious suite they stayed in. “They had a pool with three pool slides! There was even a restaurant right smack in the—” “When are you going to give me my pencil back?” I asked. I wanted to cut to the chase. I couldn’t care less about his fancy pools, considering I stared at one all day. “You mean my pencil?” He shrugged. “I gave it to my dog, Wealthy. It’s probably all chewed up by now.” He would give it to his dog. And he would have a dog named Wealthy. Jason smirked, picked up one of his pencils and started twirling. He twirled it a little too close to his face and just as I predicted, the strong minty smell made his eyes water. He put the pencil down and began rubbing his eyes furiously with his menthol fingers. Big mistake. “Oh my God, Jason’s crying!” one of my classmates exclaimed. “No, I’m not!” Jason insisted, blinking furiously. But it was too late. Everyone ran over and huddled next to Jason. It wasn’t every day a kid in fifth grade started bawling—fourth grade maybe, but not fifth grade. We watched with wide eyes as Jason cried and cried. Sunlight flooded in through the tall glass windows, and Jason’s tears glistened in the warm peach glow. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. It was a beautiful, beautiful day. The only thing that could make that day more beautiful was the chance of Lupe forgiving me. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

10 " Broadway, New York, NY 10012. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

11 " That was the problem with keeping a secret—you are all alone, on your own little island. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

12 " Sometimes, problems seem humongous in your head, but if you tell someone, you'd be surprised what can happen. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

13 " I wondered which was better—to have had something for just a second and then have it taken away, or to have never had it at all. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

14 " immigrants,” she said. “Our lives are never fair.” My dad nodded. “We have to try,” he said. “We have to try and accept our fate.” My parents were always going on about fate. Sometimes I wondered if this fate thing was just something adults made up to make themselves feel better, like the tooth fairy. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

15 " job, but only after I told them I would make a sign saying Security Camera Installed and put it up in the front office. Even though we didn’t have a security camera, people could think we had a camera. Billy Bob, one of the weeklies, came into the front office. He pointed at the sign and asked, “Where’s the new security camera?” I looked down at my hands. “There isn’t one,” I admitted. I told him about Mr. Yao and how he rejected all my ideas because they were too expensive. Billy Bob sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “But you know what? Come here, let me show you something.” I followed him out to the parking lot. The two of us stood in front of Billy Bob’s old blue station wagon. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

16 " driver’s side window. I squinted at the words. It said Don’t Touch! Alarm System Installed. Billy Bob leaned over, cupped his hand, and whispered into my ear, “There’s no alarm system.” I smiled. Later that day, a small hatchback pulled up beside Billy Bob’s station wagon. A Chinese guy came bouncing out of it, running up to my dad and shaking his hand furiously. He told him he was a friend of Uncle Ming’s and asked if he could stay here for the night. “Any friend of Ming’s is a friend of mine.” My dad smiled. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

17 " Is China in Japan?” Stuart asked. Jason turned around and glared at him. “No, idiot, it’s not in Japan.” Stuart shriveled in his seat. “Well, where’s China, then?” he asked. “In China!” Jason said. “Oh. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

18 " It was a picture I’d been waiting a long, long time for. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

19 " But won’t that wake them up?” I asked. Mr. Yao rolled his eyes. “That’s the point,” he said. "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)

20 " together to solve one “extra-tough” math question, "

― Kelly Yang , Front Desk (Front Desk, #1)