Biography

Celia C. Pérez is a writer and zine maker from Miami. She now lives in Chicago with her family. Her books have been awarded a Pura Belpré Author Honor and have received critical acclaim from Kirkus, Horn Book, and others. (adapted from Latinos in KidLit and author website)

Bibliography highlights

The First Rule of Punk: 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.

Strange Birds: When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up. Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn’t love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition.

Tumble: Twelve-year-old Adela “Addie” Ramírez has a big decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption. Addie loves Alex, the only father figure she’s ever known, but with a new half brother due in a few months and a big school theater performance on her mind, everything suddenly feels like it’s moving too fast. She has a million questions, and the first is about the young man in the photo she found hidden away in her mother’s things.

My reading experience

I kept hearing positive buzz about The First Rule of Punk when it was released, so I gave it a try. I ended up loving it! Like many of my favorite middle grade realistic stories, it has a great combination of difficult topics treated with care and kindness, and engaging characters who are trying their best. 

Additionally, Perez does a wonderful job of writing socially conscious stories about tween girls exploring their world and grappling with family and cultural history in a way that feels both weighted with old secrets and past hurts and joyous. 

Readalikes

• Lisa Moore Ramee: best known for her realistic fiction about young Black girls navigating both personal change as they come of age and social issues.

• Ruth Behar: Cuban American writer who writes books grounded in her family and cultural history, particularly Cuban-Jewish experiences.

• Jasmine Warga: particularly Other Words for Home and The Shape of Thunder, both realistic fiction about young girls navigating the aftermath of horrible events.