Knights Of scoop Kelly Yang's third middle-grade novel

Inclusive indie publisher Knights Of has landed Room To Dream, the third middle-grade novel in Kelly Yang's Front Desk series.

Inspired by Yang's own childhood experience, the series follows Mia Tang, a tenacious and sparky 10-year-old who lives in a motel with her parents after they emmigrate from China to California. The first two books, Front Desk and Three Keys, were published in the UK by Knights Of in January. The third instalment, Room To Dream, sees Mia return to China to visit her family, where she finds herself torn between her two worlds.

Editorial director Eishar Brar acquired UK and Commonwealth rights through Isobel Gahan at Curtis Brown. Room to Dream will published on 6th January 2022, priced £6.99 in paperback original. 

Commenting on the deal, Brar said: “Kelly writes so relatably, and continues to perfectly illustrate the realities of growing up, complete with all the change and challenges so many kids have to face. We are honoured to continue on as the UK home for her brilliant and acclaimed Front Desk series.”

Yang's first middle-grade title in the Front Desk series won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen as Best Book of the Year by multiple publications, including NPR, the Washington Post and the New York Public Library. Her family emmigrated from China to the US from China when she was a child, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang. She  went to college at the age of 13 and is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating programme for children in Asia and the US. Her writing has been published in the South China Morning Post, the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Atlantic. Her YA novel Parachutes (HarperCollins) was published in 2020.

Commenting on her new book, she said: "I'm delighted that UK readers will soon be able to continue the Front Desk series with the publication of Room to Dream. Thank you Knights Of for supporting this series about a young immigrant girl and giving all children the chance to see themselves represented in books and the room to dream."