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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this. Malú is trying to adjust to a new city with her mom, whom she isn't close to, far from her dad, who she is really close to. She needs to find herself in this new place with new friends.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boricuan Bookworms- Book Reviews
The First Rule of Punk is a fun middle grade book about a Mexican-American girl who whose mother has relocated them to Chicago for a new job. I really liked a lot of things about Malú from the beginning, because it was completely relatable to me to see her struggling with her identity. She doesn’t want to be the perfect Mexican señorita her mother wants her to be, but instead wants to be punk like her dad.
Malú’s struggles really highlight the unrealistic expectations that are placed upon children of color. Malú is called a “coco” (brown on the outside, white on the inside), by her classmate Selena, the perfect example of a Mexican child. Unlike Selena, Malú doesn’t speak Spanish perfectly, she doesn’t like cilantro, doesn’t enjoy traditional Mexican dancing; basically doesn’t do things that are “expected” from a Mexican child. But does this make Malú any less Mexican?
Of course, there’s more to the story than this. This book isn’t only about identity and culture, but about friendship and finding your place. We see Malú’s character develop throughout the story while she makes new friends and meets more Mexican people and role models who help her understand her struggles.
I think that this book really shows how representation is important, as we see how much Malú starts to reevaluate her life once she meets more people who are actually like her and she sees all the possibilities of what she can be.
In between chapters, we see excerpts of zines Malú makes, which gives us extra insight into who she is and what she admires. I liked this aspect of the book a lot because it was a fun little surprise waiting for you at some parts of the story.
While being middle grade, this book never feels to me like it’s too “juvenile” or “childish”; yes, the main character is 12 years old, but the story is written in such a way that it’s difficult not to get sucked in. Malú’s narrative voice is honest and a little bit sarcastic, which made a lot of situations both relatable and completely hilarious. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, because it’s fun and refreshing while also dealing with serious issues such as culture and being yourself.
Review copy provided by publisher
My Amazon Review.
The First Rule of Punk is a fun middle grade book about a Mexican-American girl who whose mother has relocated them to Chicago for a new job. I really liked a lot of things about Malú from the beginning, because it was completely relatable to me to see her struggling with her identity. She doesn’t want to be the perfect Mexican señorita her mother wants her to be, but instead wants to be punk like her dad.
Malú’s struggles really highlight the unrealistic expectations that are placed upon children of color. Malú is called a “coco” (brown on the outside, white on the inside), by her classmate Selena, the perfect example of a Mexican child. Unlike Selena, Malú doesn’t speak Spanish perfectly, she doesn’t like cilantro, doesn’t enjoy traditional Mexican dancing; basically doesn’t do things that are “expected” from a Mexican child. But does this make Malú any less Mexican?
Of course, there’s more to the story than this. This book isn’t only about identity and culture, but about friendship and finding your place. We see Malú’s character develop throughout the story while she makes new friends and meets more Mexican people and role models who help her understand her struggles.
I like to think of us as more like patchwork quilts. Some pieces are prettier than others. Some pieces match and some don't. But if you remove a square, you're just left with an incomplete quilt, and who wants that? All our pieces are equally important if they make us whole. Even the weird ones.
I think that this book really shows how representation is important, as we see how much Malú starts to reevaluate her life once she meets more people who are actually like her and she sees all the possibilities of what she can be.
In between chapters, we see excerpts of zines Malú makes, which gives us extra insight into who she is and what she admires. I liked this aspect of the book a lot because it was a fun little surprise waiting for you at some parts of the story.
While being middle grade, this book never feels to me like it’s too “juvenile” or “childish”; yes, the main character is 12 years old, but the story is written in such a way that it’s difficult not to get sucked in. Malú’s narrative voice is honest and a little bit sarcastic, which made a lot of situations both relatable and completely hilarious. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, because it’s fun and refreshing while also dealing with serious issues such as culture and being yourself.
Review copy provided by publisher
My Amazon Review.
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
long live the mexican punks! such a sweet book — it was so fun to see my culture represented in a young persons novel!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would say this is more 4.5 stars just for the record. I really like the way that this novel used different creative mediums like collages and zines to convey the main character’s thoughts. It was a really good look at not being ____ enough. Malú basically goes through this book trying to figure out how to meet her mother’s expectations of being the perfect Señorita and her desire to be punk rock. By the end she discovers you don’t have to be one or the other you can be both.
In this twist on the new-kid-in-school genre, punk rock meets Mexican heritage. I think it could have been shorter (it's way long for a kids' book), the ending was a little pat, and I wonder whether kids will engage with the punk plotline. In general, though, it's a fun read about finding your voice, demanding space for different modes of expression, and integrating the different pieces that make you who you are.
The audiobook unfortunately doesn't do justice to Malu's "zine," so I recommend going with the regular book on this one if possible.
The audiobook unfortunately doesn't do justice to Malu's "zine," so I recommend going with the regular book on this one if possible.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced