Brownstone
By: Samuel Teer, Mar Julia (Contributor)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 320
Published: June 11, 2024
Publisher: Versify
Dates Read: November 8, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Almudena no longer has to wonder about the dad she never met, because with her white mom headed out on a once-in-a-lifetime touring trip for the summer, Almudena is left alone with her father for an entire summer. Xavier is happy to see her, but he expects her to live in and help fix up his old, broken-down brownstone. Along with helping, Almudena must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish – which she doesn’t speak.

As the summer moves along, Almudena gets to know the residents of Xavier’s Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the neighborhood has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own opinion on how a young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some don’t understand why she doesn’t know her own heritage, others think she’s “not brown enough” and an “off brand”.

Time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to connect and get to know each other. The key to their connection may ultimately lie within piecing everything together for the found family within the community.

I absolutely adored this novel about Almudena as she starts to find her footing in her culture that she didn’t even know she was a part of. It’s all presented with a good bit of humor – like her finding the food too spicy and being led to the “white people aisle” of the neighborhood bodega.

I love how complicated and complex all the characters were, they felt authentic and flushed out.

The illustrations and panels in this novel were beautiful and descriptive – I always loved Almudena’s hair in the morning when she wakes up.

Overall, this was a fun, coming of age, graphic novel about a young girl learning about her roots.