Name: The First Rule of Punk
ISBN: 9780425290408

Celia C. Pérez

"Roller Girl" meets "School of Rock" in this illustrated novel about identity, friendship, and riot-grrrl power by librarian and debut author Prez.

The First Rule of Punk

I LOVED THIS BOOK AS A KID. I don't know when I finished it, so I'm just going to put it as todays date. (VALENTINES 2025) <3

Ari 💙💛

Sarah Sammis

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez is the story of a zine crafting middle schooler who is stuck in Chicago for two years. Malu (who doesn't want to be called Maria Luisa) loves punk and misses her father and her friends terribly. 

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

Jeni Enjaian

I enjoyed this book and the zines sprinkled throughout. Pérez created a compelling narrative, a believable story with a latina as the main character, a latina who doesn't fit the traditional mold in a really cool way.
Although some of the character connections and events of the story stretched the suspension of disbelief just a little, overall, I think this is a solid book and one I will definitely recommend for my 7th graders next school year.

Moth

Cat Josephson

Olivia Buck

Danny Glasner

Emily Walker

Christian Huss

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.

The First Rule of Punk

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