The First Rule of Punk

 

Bibliography

Pérez, C. (2018). The first rule of punk. New York: Puffin Books.

Plot Summary

When Malú has to make the move from Florida to Chicago, Illinois, with her mom the only thing she can bring of her dad is their love of all things punk. She decides to prove herself by creating a band and rocking out at the talent show. What started as a fun activity soon leads Malú to learning more about her culture and what it really means to be punk. 

Critical Analysis

First of all, the character of Malú jumps off the page. There is most certainly a Malú in every middle grade classroom whether they are into punk or anime. Students will relate and/or admire her need to be herself, even if that includes being dress coded for too much eyeliner. 

Malú is biracial which means that her mother is Mexican and her father is (most likely) white. She thinks of her mother as “SuperMexican” because she is constantly trying to teach Malú about their culture and wears embroidered dresses, skirts, and wraps (rebozos). But Malú relates more to her father and enjoys spending her time in his record shop and making zines - self-published booklets that can be about any topic. Since she connects so much with her father, she finds it hard to connect with her mom and be who she imagines her mother wants her to be. Malú believes that her mother wants her to be the perfect señorita - a daughter who wears pretty dresses and embraces her culture. But that just isn’t Malú. 

The move to Chicago not only rocks her world, taking her out of sunny Florida, but it introduces her more to her Mexican culture than she would have expected. On the first day she is met with what seems to be a microaggression - “‘What are you? You’re not Mexican, right?’ What are you? I was used to getting some version of that question, especially when people heard my name. I wasn’t always sure how to answer” (Pérez, 49). Not long after, she is called a coconut which is an insult meant to say that she is brown on the outside but white on the inside. 

Right away, Malú and her mother find a coffee shop, Calaca Coffee, that becomes an important setting within the book. The shop is decorated with “colorful skulls, marigolds, and dancing skeletons. . . Inside we were greeted by a life-sized paper-mâché skeleton that looked like Frida Kahlo with her blackbird eyebrows” (Pérez, 33). The pastries offered have both Spanish and English signs and promote several Mexican breads and pastries. The shop is run by Ms. Hidalgo, the mother of one of Malú’s new friends and the daughter of their neighbor, Señora Oralia. In fact, Señora Oralia is the one who introduces Malú to Lola Beltrán and the idea that there might be punk Mexican bands. It is also due to Calaca Coffee that Malú learns what an ofrenda is and about the tradition involved with Día de los Muertos. 

Due to a Spanish assignment that requires Malú to trace back two generations of their family tree, she begins to learn more about her mother’s side of the family. Her grandfather - abuelo - came to Mexico for the Bracero Program. “‘The government made arrangements with Mexico to bring in laborers to work on American farms’” (Pérez, 109). And her grandmother left Mexico alone at the age of sixteen. Inspired mostly by the story of her grandfather, she creates a zine about the Bracero Program. 

In retaliation to a bully, Malú decides to form a band for the school talent show. She and three other “misfits” join together to form the Co-Co’s, short for the Coconuts. Joe and Malú take the slur that Selena, another character, used against Malú into something positive. They decide to sing a punk version of a Lola Beltrán song. But when they aren’t selected to perform in the talent show because they’re “too loud”. Not to be discouraged, the band plans a Alterna-Fiesta talent show which ends up taking place after the talent show. The Alterna-Fiesta allows anyone denied performing at the talent show a voice. 

Ultimately, this is a beautiful tale of a young girl embracing a part of herself that she had previously shut out. The best part about Malú is that she doesn’t ever shy away from who she is, but she allows herself to grow more into herself and her identity. Malú’s story is important for biracial students and those students that may not feel as Mexican or Latinx as their parents may want them to be. The zines offer another way to present information in a fun way, and the sprinkling of Spanish is authentic to the story. 

Review Excerpt(s)

2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book

2018 ALSC Notable Children’s Book

2018 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award Winner

Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2017

School Library Journal Best Books of 2017 

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

"Those who enjoy vivacious, plucky heroines... will eagerly embrace Malu." School Library Journal 

Connections 

-Activities

• José Guadalupe Posada and other notable Mexican artists are mentioned throughout the book. Provide a list of influential Mexican artists for students to research. They will create a presentation and then their own artwork inspired by their artist for a gallery walk. 

• Go into more detail about the Bracero Program and how it affected immigration into the United States from Mexico. Pair with information about Chinese immigration and the transcontinental railroad. 

• Malú creates a zine about the background of her name and her “pie chart”. The pie chart represents what makes Malú Malú. Students can create a zine of the origin of their own name and their own pie charts. They can even create a pie chart on what they believe their own parents want of them. This can be a good introduction to the book and zine creating.

• Once students have had the experience of creating a zine (see above), they can then create a zine on a topic of their own choosing that they research. In theory, students could look more into Mexican culture or complete their zine over a topic in the book such as Día de los Muertos, Mexican punk bands, Mexican breads and pastries, etc. 

• In addition to providing an instruction manual on creating a zine, the author also provides a playlist for The First Rule of Punk. Play this for students to help them better understand what punk is. http://celiacperez.com/playlist