
The First Rule of Punk
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $22.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Victoria Villarreal
-
By:
-
Celia C. Pérez
About this listen
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
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!
Includes a “How to Make a Zine” guide read by the author
"Malú rocks!"—Victoria Jamieson, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning Roller Girl
©2017 Celia C. Pérez (P)2024 Listening LibraryCritic reviews
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
A 2018 ALSC Notable Children’s Book
A 2018 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award Winner
A 2017 ABA Indies Introduce Title
A Kids’ Indie Next List Pick
An E.B. White Read-Aloud Middle Reader Award finalist
A 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction and Poetry Honor Book
An Amelia Bloomer List Book
CCBC Choices 2018
A 2018 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Publishers Weekly Flying Start
NPR Best Books of 2017
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, starred review
★ "Those who enjoy vivacious, plucky heroines... will eagerly embrace Malu."—School Library Journal, starred review
★ "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
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Across So Many Seas
- By: Ruth Behar
- Narrated by: Allison Strong, Victoria Villarreal, Sol Madariaga, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning over 500 years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar's epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a new life.
By: Ruth Behar
-
When Stars Are Scattered
- By: Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed
- Narrated by: full cast, Dominic Hoffman, Christine Avila, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future...but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.
-
-
Informative . Very interesting !
- By vanessa nance on 04-01-22
By: Victoria Jamieson, and others
-
The Mona Lisa Vanishes
- A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
- By: Nicholas Day
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the Director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?
-
-
Fascinating true thriller!
- By Katrina on 11-26-23
By: Nicholas Day
-
House Arrest
- By: K.A. Holt
- Narrated by: Alex Kydd
- Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy is on probation. It's a strange word - something that happens to other kids, to delinquents, not to kids like him. And yet, he is under house arrest for the next year. He must check in weekly with a probation officer and a therapist and keep a journal for an entire year. And mostly, he has to stay out of trouble. But when he must take drastic measures to help his struggling family, staying out of trouble proves more difficult than Timothy ever thought it would be.
-
-
Better off reading yourself
- By Patricia Rosenberg on 02-14-23
By: K.A. Holt
-
Healer of the Water Monster
- By: Brian Young
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him. One night, while lost in the nearby desert, Nathan finds someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story - a Water Monster - in need of help.
-
-
Love it
- By jaynell on 06-10-21
By: Brian Young
-
Root Magic
- By: Eden Royce
- Narrated by: Imani Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn 11 - and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork. And Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon.
-
-
Amazing!!!
- By Kindle Customer on 05-10-21
By: Eden Royce
-
Across So Many Seas
- By: Ruth Behar
- Narrated by: Allison Strong, Victoria Villarreal, Sol Madariaga, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning over 500 years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar's epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a new life.
By: Ruth Behar
-
When Stars Are Scattered
- By: Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed
- Narrated by: full cast, Dominic Hoffman, Christine Avila, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future...but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.
-
-
Informative . Very interesting !
- By vanessa nance on 04-01-22
By: Victoria Jamieson, and others
-
The Mona Lisa Vanishes
- A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
- By: Nicholas Day
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the Director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?
-
-
Fascinating true thriller!
- By Katrina on 11-26-23
By: Nicholas Day
-
House Arrest
- By: K.A. Holt
- Narrated by: Alex Kydd
- Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy is on probation. It's a strange word - something that happens to other kids, to delinquents, not to kids like him. And yet, he is under house arrest for the next year. He must check in weekly with a probation officer and a therapist and keep a journal for an entire year. And mostly, he has to stay out of trouble. But when he must take drastic measures to help his struggling family, staying out of trouble proves more difficult than Timothy ever thought it would be.
-
-
Better off reading yourself
- By Patricia Rosenberg on 02-14-23
By: K.A. Holt
-
Healer of the Water Monster
- By: Brian Young
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him. One night, while lost in the nearby desert, Nathan finds someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story - a Water Monster - in need of help.
-
-
Love it
- By jaynell on 06-10-21
By: Brian Young
-
Root Magic
- By: Eden Royce
- Narrated by: Imani Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn 11 - and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork. And Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon.
-
-
Amazing!!!
- By Kindle Customer on 05-10-21
By: Eden Royce
-
The Fort
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Christopher Carley, Michael Crouch, Nick Walther, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction—power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends—Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ—meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray—Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.
-
-
Stunning
- By Livie on 06-27-23
By: Gordon Korman
-
The Shape of Thunder
- By: Jasmine Warga
- Narrated by: Reena Dutt, Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year. Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did. On the day of Cora’s 12th birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever - and stop him.
-
-
Best for younger MG readers
- By Pink Amy on 01-04-24
By: Jasmine Warga
-
Black Brother, Black Brother
- By: Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Narrated by: Barrie Buckner
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sometimes, 12-year-old Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbing him "Black Brother", Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey. When he's bullied and framed by the captain of the fencing team, "King" Alan, he's suspended from school and arrested for something he didn't do.
-
-
Excellent
- By Ryan LeBrun on 08-04-20
-
Starfish
- By: Lisa Fipps
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth-birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules - like "no making waves", "avoid eating in public", and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles". And she's found her safe space - her swimming pool - where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet.
-
-
Perfection!
- By JENNE ESTES on 07-02-21
By: Lisa Fipps
-
The Sea in Winter
- By: Christine Day
- Narrated by: Kimberly Woods
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions. Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up. But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when she feels as cold as the ocean?
-
-
It’s great!
- By Annie R. on 10-09-23
By: Christine Day
-
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
- Life of a Cactus Series, Book 1
- By: Dusti Bowling
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The audio edition of the best-selling middle grade novel about a spunky girl born without arms and a boy with Tourette syndrome navigating the challenges of middle school, disability, and friendship - all while solving a mystery in a western theme park. Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is that she was born without them.
-
-
Ever wish a fictional character was real?
- By Audiobookaddict1 on 05-04-20
By: Dusti Bowling
-
To Night Owl from Dogfish
- By: Holly Goldberg Sloan, Meg Wolitzer
- Narrated by: Imani Parks, Cassandra Morris, full cast, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Avery Bloom, who's bookish, intense, and afraid of many things, particularly deep water, lives in New York City. Bett Devlin, who's fearless, outgoing, and loves all animals as well as the ocean, lives in California. What they have in common is that they are both 12 years old and are both being raised by single, gay dads. When their dads fall in love, Bett and Avery are sent, against their will, to the same sleepaway camp. Their dads hope they will find common ground and become friends - and possibly, one day, even sisters.
-
-
Charming and funny
- By D. Bailey on 02-17-19
By: Holly Goldberg Sloan, and others
-
Solimar
- The Sword of Monarchs
- By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Narrated by: Franchesca Agramonte
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the brink of her Quinceañera, and her official coronation, Solimar visits the oyamel forest to sit among the monarch butterflies. There, the sun pierces through a sword-shaped crevice in a boulder, which shines on her and sends the butterflies humming and swirling around her. After the magical frenzy, she realizes she's been given a gift — and a burden: She can predict the near future!
-
-
Not a great experience
- By Heidi on 12-09-22
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
-
Aru Shah and the End of Time
- A Pandava Novel, Book 1
- By: Roshani Chokshi
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, Aru will be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that she makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at her doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. She can get herself out of this.
-
-
A wonderful book for strong girls
- By L. McCullough on 04-14-18
By: Roshani Chokshi
-
La primera regla del punk [The First Rule of Punk]
- By: Celia C. Pérez
- Narrated by: Carolina Ayala
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No hay atajos para navegar el primer día de clases en una nueva escuela – no se arregla con cinta gafer como lo harías con tu par de tenis Chuck Taylor. La adolecente Malú, (María Luisa, si quieres irritarla), logra molestar a la chica mandamás de Posada Middle School, romper el código de vestimenta con su vestido punk rock, y decepcionar a su madre, quien es profesora universitaria. Y todo esto en su primer día de escuela intermedia. Su padre, quien ahora vive a miles de millas de distancia, le dice que las cosas mejorarán siempre y cuando nunca olvide la primera regla del punk: ser tú mismo.
-
-
Excelente historia para jóvenes
- By Chris S. on 01-19-23
By: Celia C. Pérez
-
The Bitter Side of Sweet
- By: Tara Sullivan
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number, the safer they are, because the bosses won't beat them. The higher the number, the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home to Moke and Auntie. Maybe. The problem is, Amadou doesn't know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won't tell him.
-
-
Sweetness and bitterness...
- By Daryl on 04-21-16
By: Tara Sullivan
-
Chains
- The Seeds of America Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the Revolutionary War begins, 13-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate, become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion.
-
-
Fabulous!!!
- By Myrisha Goodson on 06-12-22