Member Reviews
Ok so this is an adorable book about a mixed race girl not knowing where her place is in the world. Malu has to move for her mum's job meaning she won't get to see her dad for a while and her dad is her best friend. Malu struggles in Chicago, her school sucks and she feels like her mum just doesn't understand. She deals with all this by making zines and forming a band.
Malu is such a tough cookie and adorable and she's so passionate. Her voice was so real and I loved reading from her perspective. She made some mistakes but she's a kid so you expect that and she's just a sweet bean. She reminded me of myself back when I was younger and super into rock music. I loved that Malu didn't like coriander (Cilantro if you're American) and was so adamant about it because I also hate it and it made me laugh a lot.
I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of a young girl who is super into rock and punk music. It was refreshing, not something that you find much in middle grade books, or to be honest books in general, even though we all had a goth phase.
I'll be honest, the zine part of it kind of bored me but that's just me. If you are interested in zines then you'd probably love it but I was just a bit meh about it.
There's not much else I can say about this book as it is first and foremost about Malu, the plot is kind of an afterthought. I think if you are a mixed race latina who struggled a lot with where you fit in life when you were younger this could be super relatable for you. But I'm white so I may be wrong.
Oh this was an incredibly sweet middle school read with a passionate and, basically, amazing main character. The only criticism I'd put against her is that she seemed too wise for her years, both with regards to her interactions with her mum and with the school bully, Selene.
When Malu's mum gets a job in Chicago, Malu has to move away from her school, her friends, and her dad. Actually, that makes me realise as well that there wasn't enough given to me as to why her father couldn't have her live with him while the mum went to follow her new job. But, anyway, Malu is less than pleased to go.
Only once she goes does she start to find that the punk music she loves so much with her dad also has Mexican roots. It's around that time that it comes to her mind to start a punk band with three of her new school mates.
It's a good, short feel good book that resolves everything neatly by the end.