A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
The First Rule of Punk is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one’s watching. There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school—you can’t fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.
The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself!
Black and white illustrations and collage art by award-winning author Celia C. Pérez are featured throughout.
"
Malú rocks!"
—Victoria Jamieson, author and illustrator of the
New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning
Roller Girl
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
The First Rule of Punk is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one's watching.
There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school-you can't fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School's queen bee, violates the school's dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.
The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself!
Black and white illustrations and collage art throughout make The First Rule of Punk a perfect pick for fans of books like Roller Girl and online magazines like Rookie.
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
A 2018 ALSC Notable Children’s Book
A 2018 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award Winner
A 2017 ABA Indies Introduce Title
A Kids’ Indie Next List Pick
An E.B. White Read-Aloud Middle Reader Award finalist
A 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction and Poetry Honor Book
An Amelia Bloomer List Book
CCBC Choices 2018
A 2018 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Publishers Weekly Flying Start
NPR Best Books of 2017
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2017
School Library Journal Best Books of 2017
A Horn Book Fanfare Selection
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books of 2017
NYPL Best Books for Kids 2017
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books 2017
Evanston Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids 2017
A Seattle Public Library Top 10 Children’s Chapter Book of 2017
A UPenn Graduate School of Education Best Book of 2017
2018-2019 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee
2018-2019 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee
A 2018 Great Lakes, Great Reads Award Winner
2017 Nerdy Book Award Winner
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST RULE OF PUNK:"A charming debut about a thoughtful, creative preteen connecting to both halves of her identity."
—
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Those who enjoy vivacious, plucky heroines... will eagerly embrace Malu."
—
School Library Journal (starred review)"Pérez’s debut is as exuberant as its heroine... A rowdy reminder that people are at their best when they aren’t forced into neat, tidy boxes."
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)"Extremely relatable and creatively inspiring, with a voice that is
equal parts witty and sharp."
—Bustle.com
"
Malú is an irrepressible force, one that readers will long remember."
—Diana López, author of
Confetti Girl and
Nothing Up My Sleeve 
