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The First Rule of Punk
CCBC Review:
Malu and her mom have moved from Florida to Chicago for her mom’s 2-year visiting professorship. Mixed-race (Mexican/white) Malu, whose parents are amicably divorced, is unhappy about leaving her dad, who nurtured her interest in punk. She also feels like her mom, whom she calls SuperMexican, wants her to be a perfect senorita, which couldn’t be further from Malu’s understanding of herself (or, it turns out, the truth). Expressing her punk identity with heavy make-up the first day at Jose Guadalupe Posada Middle School doesn’t just raise her mom’s eyebrows, however: Malu’s in violation of school rules. After the mom of Malu’s new friend Joe introduces Malu to Mexican American punk musicians—something Malu didn’t know existed—and other Mexican singers, Malu recruits Joe and two other kids to form a punk band and try out for the school talent show. When the principal rejects their act, Malu and her bandmates organize an alternate talent show in the spirit of their school’s namesake while reworking a classic Mexican song into a punk performance that brings together the parts of Malu’s identity she thought were disparate, but prove not to be. Malu’s zines exploring aspects of her personal history and culture add a rich visual dimension to a spirited, engaging story about a creative, irrepressible girl navigating uncertainties and making new connections and discoveries. ©2017 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Activism and Resistance
Creativity
Divorce
Girls and Women
Identity
Independence/Self-Reliance
Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Moving
Multiracial Characters/Families
Music and Musicians
School
Diversity subject:
Latine
Publisher:
Viking
Publish Year: 2017
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780425290408
CCBC Location: Fiction, Perez