Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring lead, positive messages in 5th book of fab series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In TOP STORY: FRONT DESK, BOOK 5, Mia Tang is excited about this year's Christmas break. This year, she gets to head up to San Francisco and take part in a journalism camp at a real national newspaper! But after a few days, she and her friends realize that their stories aren't being chosen, listened to, or encouraged. While learning about the hardships and sometimes racism of the real world, Mia fights back, determined to get her stories out to the world no matter what.
Is It Any Good?
Like the first four books in the Front Desk series, this 5th installment continues to tell Mia's interesting and bold journey through adolescence. There are many positive messages in Top Story and throughout, Mia continues to be compelling, smart, inventive, assertive, creative, and a solid friend. This new tale is full of inspiring moments, scenes, and examples of what it can be like growing up Asian American. From an immigrant family, Mia struggles with confidence at times, but her friends, family, and community always come to her aid. She learns how to be truthful to her own feelings, how to deal with adversity and racism, and how to inspire others. The ways Mia gets her Asian American community to rally against racist incidents in the area is inspiring. And the stories Mia and her journalism friends uncover are real-world true, fascinating, and sometimes tragic, but in their own right, they certainly deserve to be told.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in middle grade novels. Did any of the stories from Asian American history talked about in Top Story: Front Desk, Book 5 surprise you?
How do characters show courage, communication, compassion, integrity, curiosity, and teamwork? While writing can help with communication, Mia and her friends also show great interest in things bigger than themselves, like Asian American history, racial justice, and community building. Characters also stand up to racism, fight back, and work well together, learning how to accomplish things as a team.
Given that this story is set in the 1990s, do you think things have changed for Asian American kids today? What kinds of racism do Asian American kids still face? Do you think things are better, the same, or worse?
How hard would it be to start your own newspaper? What would be your first steps?
What other kinds of stories are out there that you think still need to be told?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Family Life
- Topics : Activism , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Courage , Curiosity , Integrity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic Press
- Publication date : September 5, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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