The First Rule of Punk

Powell's Picks of the Month

Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.

Malu loves hanging out at her dad’s record store, listening to punk rock and making zines. She does not love moving to Chicago with her mom, leaving behind her home and everything she knows. In order to adjust to her new life she needs to follow the first rule of punk: Be Yourself. I love Malu’s spunk and individuality; she is a super cool heroine. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story about finding your people while figuring out who you are. Recommended By Jennifer H., Powells.com

From debut author and longtime zine-maker Celia C. Pérez, 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.

"A charming debut about a thoughtful, creative preteen connecting to both halves of her identity." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Extremely relatable and creatively inspiring, with a voice that is equal parts witty and sharp." Bustle.com

"In The First Rule of Punk, Celia C. Pérez brings us Malú, a girl whose talents are as diverse as the images and words she snips for her zines. Malú is an irrepressible force, one that readers will long remember." Diana López, author of Confetti Girl and Nothing Up My Sleeve

"Pérez’s debut is as exuberant as its heroine… A rowdy reminder that people are at their best when they aren’t forced into neat, tidy boxes." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Celia C. Pérez has been making zines inspired by punk and her love of writing for longer than some of you have been alive. Her favorite zine supplies are a long-arm stapler, glue sticks, and watercolor pencils. She still listens to punk music, and she’ll never stop picking cilantro out of her food at restaurants. Originally from Miami, Florida, Celia lives in Chicago with her family and works as a community college librarian. She owns two sets of worry dolls because you can never have too many. The First Rule of Punk is her first book for young readers.