The First Rule of Punk

Gr 3-6--A fun romp through the awkward years of middle school that examines themes of identity and culture. When Malu has to move away from her dad and everything she knows, she takes her love of punk music with her. Following the rules of punk, she embarks on a new school journey, full of misadventures and hilarious life lessons. Malu is happy not to fit in with the crowd yet cannot bring herself to tell her mom that her passion for punk is not a rebellious phase--it's who she is. When classmates label Malu a coconut (brown on the outside and white on the inside), she is determined to prove to her school and herself that she is proud of her Mexican roots. With tenderness and humor, Perez explores the joys and challenges of being biracial. Readers will connect with Malu, a strong protagonist who leaps off the page and whose zine-inspired artistry boldly illustrates how she deals with life. VERDICT Those who enjoy vivacious, plucky heroines, such as the protagonists of Brenda Woods's The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick's Two Naomis, and Rebecca Stead's Goodbye Stranger, will eagerly embrace Malu.--Jessica Bratt, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI

After Maria Luisa O'Neill-Morales--Malu for short--and her divorced mother move from Florida to Chicago, the 12-year-old struggles with having her music-loving father so far away and with living up to a mother she has nicknamed SuperMexican. "Admit it, Mom," Malu says during one of their squabbles. "I'm just your weird, unladylike, sloppy-Spanish-speaking, half-Mexican kid." Malu takes solace in punk music and in creating handmade zines, which appear throughout; she also begins to make friends, forming a band--the Co-Co's--that blends punk and Mexican music. (It also reclaims the slur "coconut," which one of Malu's classmates calls her.) Perez's debut is as exuberant as its heroine, who discovers that there's real overlap between her Mexican heritage and the punk ethos she so admires. The relationships between children and parents are handled especially well: Malu chafes at her mother's traditionalism while idolizing her friend Joe's mother, a cafe owner who represents a merging of Mexican and punk cultures in a way that impresses Malu. A rowdy reminder that people are at their best when they aren't forced into neat, tidy boxes. Ages 9-12. Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Aug.)