The First Rule of Punk

The First Rule of Punk, a 2018 Pura Belpre Author Honor Book, is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one’s watching.

A2018 Pura Belpre Author Honor Book

The First Rule of Punkis 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 Malo (Maria 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 Malo 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, Malo 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 likeRoller Girland online magazines likeRookie.

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