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WINNER OF THE PRINTZ AWARD
A Harvey Award Nominee!
An Indie Next List Selection!
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book!
A Publishers Weekly Best Book!
"Angsty. Awkward. With a scrappy heart of gold, Brownstone is a must-read for anyone who's ever felt totally out of place." -Gabby Rivera, bestselling author of Juliet Takes a Breath
An exciting teen coming-of-age epic from author Samuel Teer and debut graphic novel artist Mar Julia, Brownstone is a vivid, sweeping, ultimately hopeful story about navigating your heritage even when you feel like you don't quite fit in.
Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met.
Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip without her, she's left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish-which she doesn't speak.
As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can't understand why she doesn't know where she comes from. Others think she's "not brown enough" to fit in.
But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer.
"A revelatory summer. A makeshift familia that's imperfect but feels right. This coming-of-age tale chimes with discreet moments of humor and lots of heart, all centered around questions of heritage, identity, compassion, and acceptance and exemplified by the scrappy, vivid artwork, which wonderfully captures Almudena's inner turmoil. Beautifully profound." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Via Almudena's unfettered perspective, Teer interrogates characters' preconceived notions surrounding one another's ethnicity and sexuality. Fluid illustrations by Julia, saturated in rich earth tones, expressively distinguish each character's personality and breathe life into the vibrant metropolitan neighborhood. This energetic and emotionally grounded story hits the mark. A satisfyingly transformative tale." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[An] empathetic coming-of-age graphic novel. [Julia's] earth-tone illustrations warmly depict Xavier's metropolitan neighborhood and are full of affectionate detail. Teer shows his characters' shortcomings without framing anyone as an antagonist and omits most period-specific references in favor of concentrating on timeless emotions related to overcoming cultural imposter syndrome." - Horn Book Magazine
"Neat, descriptive illustrations are full of bright and vivid colors. [The] panels show the community uniting to support one another. The story brings to life the experiences and people of an urban Latinx neighborhood." - Booklist
"Superb. Easy-to-follow dialogue and beautiful, captivating illustrations. A great YA graphic novel for teens who are trying to figure out who they are or anyone who has ever felt like they were on the outside." - School Library Journal
"Finds a way to discuss language barriers, immigration, missing/absent parents, Latinidad/ identity, homophobia, community making, gentrification, and self-acceptance all in a compelling narrative. The character designs are equally as impressive. Going on this adventure with Almudena and her communidad was such a joy." - Latinx Pop Magazine
"Angsty. Awkward. With a scrappy heart of gold, Brownstone is a must-read for anyone who's ever felt totally out of place. Almu
A Harvey Award Nominee!
An Indie Next List Selection!
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book!
A Publishers Weekly Best Book!
"Angsty. Awkward. With a scrappy heart of gold, Brownstone is a must-read for anyone who's ever felt totally out of place." -Gabby Rivera, bestselling author of Juliet Takes a Breath
An exciting teen coming-of-age epic from author Samuel Teer and debut graphic novel artist Mar Julia, Brownstone is a vivid, sweeping, ultimately hopeful story about navigating your heritage even when you feel like you don't quite fit in.
Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met.
Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip without her, she's left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish-which she doesn't speak.
As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can't understand why she doesn't know where she comes from. Others think she's "not brown enough" to fit in.
But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer.
"A revelatory summer. A makeshift familia that's imperfect but feels right. This coming-of-age tale chimes with discreet moments of humor and lots of heart, all centered around questions of heritage, identity, compassion, and acceptance and exemplified by the scrappy, vivid artwork, which wonderfully captures Almudena's inner turmoil. Beautifully profound." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Via Almudena's unfettered perspective, Teer interrogates characters' preconceived notions surrounding one another's ethnicity and sexuality. Fluid illustrations by Julia, saturated in rich earth tones, expressively distinguish each character's personality and breathe life into the vibrant metropolitan neighborhood. This energetic and emotionally grounded story hits the mark. A satisfyingly transformative tale." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[An] empathetic coming-of-age graphic novel. [Julia's] earth-tone illustrations warmly depict Xavier's metropolitan neighborhood and are full of affectionate detail. Teer shows his characters' shortcomings without framing anyone as an antagonist and omits most period-specific references in favor of concentrating on timeless emotions related to overcoming cultural imposter syndrome." - Horn Book Magazine
"Neat, descriptive illustrations are full of bright and vivid colors. [The] panels show the community uniting to support one another. The story brings to life the experiences and people of an urban Latinx neighborhood." - Booklist
"Superb. Easy-to-follow dialogue and beautiful, captivating illustrations. A great YA graphic novel for teens who are trying to figure out who they are or anyone who has ever felt like they were on the outside." - School Library Journal
"Finds a way to discuss language barriers, immigration, missing/absent parents, Latinidad/ identity, homophobia, community making, gentrification, and self-acceptance all in a compelling narrative. The character designs are equally as impressive. Going on this adventure with Almudena and her communidad was such a joy." - Latinx Pop Magazine
"Angsty. Awkward. With a scrappy heart of gold, Brownstone is a must-read for anyone who's ever felt totally out of place. Almu