The First Rule of Punk

A 2018 Pura Belpr 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 Mal (Mar a 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 Mal 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, Mal 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.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Published: 08/22/2017
ISBN: 9780425290408
Pages: 336
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.80w x 1.20d
Award: Pura Belpre Award - Honor Book

Review Citations: School Library Journal 06/01/2017
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2017 pg. 138
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2017 pg. 139
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2017
Publishers Weekly 08/07/2017
Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview 08/15/2017 pg. 56
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2018

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 190322 / First Rule of Punk
Reading Level: 4.5 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 7