Brownstone │book review

 

Brownstone by Samuel Teer & Mar Julia

Category:  2025 Printz award winner, graphic novel

Age group: young adult

Format: physical book

Summary: This graphic novel is set in 1995, Almudena is spending her summer with her father who she had not even met. Her father is Guatemalan and does not speak English. Her mom is white and did not do the best job in teaching Almudena about her culture since she thought was Mexican. Almudena learns a lot from her father and grows closer to the community surrounded by the brownstone where she is helping her father renovate. At first Almudena feels as though she does not belong in the community but towards the end of the book, we see how much she has grown to appreciate the community so much that she does not want to leave it.

Justification: The reason I chose this graphic novel is because I learned that the main character is Guatemalan and as someone who is Guatemalan, I appreciate the representation.

Evaluation: I will be evaluating the illustrations, the plot, and the layout. The illustrations throughout the book were colorful and very well done. The cover shows Almudena leaning on top of the brownstone building that she helped renovate with her father. The cover shows some of the characters she encounters in the story which I found to be an awesome detail. The pages are filled with small details, including scenes inside a bodega, where Almudena tries Hispanic snacks that she had never tried before, learning new things about her culture.

I enjoyed the story but, in the beginning, I had trouble getting past was that Almudena’s mother sent her to live with her father who is a stranger in her life. Later, in the book her father’s absence is explained but I had difficulty getting past the idea of how her mother could drop her off and allow her to stay with him for a whole month without ever meeting him. Almudena had a lot of questions, and she seemed lost especially since her father only spoke Spanish, a language she did not know. It was difficult for them to communicate with each other, but they did find their way through it with people helping to translate. Despite the struggles to communicate the author did an amazing job of conveying the love her father had for Almudena as scenes towards the end of the book brought me to tears.  

The layout of the book was well done. The text had clear readability, and the proper font was used. Readers will not find it difficult to follow along to the story and will enjoy the good pace.

References: Teer, S., Julia, M., & Fortson, A. (2024). Brownstone. Versify, Harper Alley, imprints of HarperCollinsPublishers.