BROWNSTONE BY SAMUEL TEER & ILLUSTRATED BY MAR JULIA
In the graphic novel Brownstone, 14-year-old Almudena is suddenly dropped off to spend the summer with a father she has never met. While her mother is away on a dance tour, Almudena must live in a Brooklyn neighborhood where she feels like an outsider. She does not speak Spanish, and her father, Xavier, knows very little English and is focused on renovating a run-down brownstone.
The reader follows Almudena as she navigates a significant language barrier and struggles with her identity. She works through intense emotions of figuring out this new relationship with her dad and where she belongs. Throughout the summer, she encounters neighbors whose assumptions about her heritage make it difficult for her to earn their trust. The text also explores serious themes such as gentrification, racism, homophobia and the process of building a family within a community.
Along with the beautiful artwork, a notable feature is the bilingual dialogue; much of the Spanish is left untranslated, which allows the reader to experience the same sense of immersion and confusion as Almudena.
Though Brownstone doesn’t shy away from difficult themes, each moment is handled with care and optimism. Almudena’s journey is shaped by acts of kindness, the embrace of a community that shows up for her, and a growing sense of identity as she pieces together her past and imagines her future.
This is a heartfelt read for any student navigating teenage angst and figuring out who they are and where they fit.