The First Rule of Punk book cover
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The First Rule of Punk

By Celia C. Pérez

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.

“Armed with a microphone and a pair of scissors, this book is all about creating something new and awesome in the world. Malú rocks!” –Victoria Jamieson, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning Roller Girl

Educator Resources

  • Celia C. Pérez Discussion Guide

    Download

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Florida
    • Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, 2018-2019
  • Indiana
    • Young Hoosier Book Award, 2019-2020
  • North Carolina
    • North Carolina Junior Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Oregon
    • Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB), 2019-2020
  • Tennessee
    • Volunteer State Book Award, 2019-2020
  • Texas
    • Lectio Book Awards (Austin, TX), 2018-2019
    • Lone Star Reading List, 2019
  • Vermont
    • Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Illinois
    • Illinois Reads, 2019
    • Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 2020
    • Great Lakes, Great Reads, 2018
  • Michigan
    • Great Lakes, Great Books Award, 2018-2019
    • Great Lakes, Great Books, 2018
  • Wisconsin
    • Just One More Page!, 2018
  • Rhode Island
    • Kids Reading Across Rhode Island, 2018
  • Delaware
    • Blue Hen Book Award, 2020
  • New Jersey
    • Garden State Teen Book Award 2020
  • South Carolina
    • South Carolina Picture Book Award 2019-2020
  • New Mexico
    • Land of Enchantment Book Award Lizard List, 2020-2021

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