Friday, May 02, 2025

Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia

 

Imagine spending a whole summer with the father you've never met in a city you've never been to in a community where you don't speak the language. Almudena is 14 going on 15 and that's how she spends her summer. Her white mom leaves her with her Guatemalan dad in New York City. Her father, Xavier, is eager to get to know her, but he doesn't speak English and she doesn't speak Spanish. He is fixing up an old Brownstone building and expects her to demolish walls and put up sheetrock and learn construction skills. At the same time she meets his friends and neighbors and his girlfriend, and finds a vibrant community that she comes to know and want to join. This Printz Award winning graphic novel is a great example of Young Teen Lit. Recommended for middle and high school libraries. 

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