by Anthony_Conty: “Brownstone” by Samuel Teer won the Michael Printz Award in 2025 for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, and for good reason: it is a family tale that keeps you engaged. It goes about as well as you would expect for an American child living with a father she never met for three months when that parent does not speak English.
This is the quick read to end all quick reads, with few words per page. Almudena somehow could learn to fix up a house more quickly than she learns Spanish. The language barrier plays a key role, but learners of all levels of Spanish should understand what is happening. These interactions could lend themselves to stereotypes, and Teer avoids them admirably.
Almudena has relatable qualities, and I respected her unique situation. An absentee father would not waltz easily back into someone’s stable life as a teenager and expect a warm welcome. That does not replace familial bonds. When someone with blood ties is hurt, you hurt as well. Family and neighborhood remain a key part of who the proud characters are.
Since Almudena’s living arrangement is atypical of literature, you have limited expectations for what will occur. I could not relate to the split-home arrangement, but I still had empathy. The idea of cultural pluralism is real: people want to recognize all their cultures, which makes them feel they belong to none and struggle with identity.
As a father of three, I have trouble sympathizing with an absentee father; that said, Xavier was a likable, hardworking character, and Alumdena learns a great deal from him during her brief stay. The ending left me sad and full of joy at the same time, with hope for the future. My students make broken families work, and something tells me they will, too.
