Kelly Yang is a highly accomplished author, known for her poignant and thought-provoking works. Born in China, Yang moved to America at the age of six and faced the challenge of not knowing a single word of English. Growing up, she and her parents worked in a total of three motels before the age of thirteen, an experience that would later inspire much of her writing.
Yang is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the FRONT DESK series, which includes FRONT DESK, THREE KEYS, ROOM TO DREAM, KEY PLAYER, and TOP STORY. She is also the author of the FINALLY series, including FINALLY SEEN, and FINALLY HEARD, as well as NEW FROM HERE, YES WE WILL, and the young adult novels PARACHUTES and PRIVATE LABEL. Her writing is informed by her personal experiences and her passion for social justice, and she has won numerous awards for her work.
Yang's FRONT DESK series, in particular, has been widely praised for its sensitive and nuanced portrayal of the immigrant experience. The series follows the story of a young Chinese girl named Mia Tang, who manages a motel with her parents and navigates the challenges of growing up as an immigrant in America. The series has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature.
In addition to her work as a novelist, Yang has also written for many years for prominent publications such as the South China Morning Post, The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Atlantic. Prior to becoming a novelist, she founded The Kelly Yang Project, a writing and debating program for children in Asia. Yang is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School, and she currently lives in Los Angeles with her family.