So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother »

Micol Ostow (New York City) has written more than thirty-five published works for children and young adults. So Punk Rock was inspired by the thirteen years of Jewish day school that she and her brother David experienced. Micol is currently pursuing an MFA in writing through Vermont College of Fine Arts and teaching YA writing up and down the Eastern seaboard. For more information, visit MicolOstow.com or KosherPunkRock.com.

Illustrator David Ostow (Hoboken, New Jersey) was trained as an architect. He currently works at a large design firm in New York City and also illustrates on a freelance basis. So Punk Rock is his first literary endeavor. Visit David at DavidOstow.com or at KosherPunkRock.com.

Despite his dreams of hipster rock glory, Ari Abramson's band, the Tribe, is more white bread than indie-cred. Made up of four suburban teens from a wealthy Jewish school, their Mötley Crüe is about as hardcore as SAT prep and scripture studies.

But after a one-song gig at a friend's Bar Mitzvah—a ska cover of "Hava Nagilah"—the Tribe's popularity erupts overnight. Now, Ari is forced to navigate a minefield of inflated egos, misplaced romance, and the shallowness of indie-rock elitism. It's a hard lesson in the complex art of playing it cool.

So Punk Rock is...

a 2010 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teen Readers

"Awesome. Brilliant. Hilarious. So Punk Rock is so good!"
—Blake Nelson, author of Girl

"A downright hilarious read."—Elizabeth Bird, author of School Library Journal's A Fuse #8 Production

"[A] cutting-edge prose-graphic hybrid. . .smart, laugh-out-loud witty."—Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize and Eternal

A Booklist Top 10 Arts Books for Youth (2009) and Top 10 Religious Books for Youth (2009).

For more information, visit: kosherpunkrock.com.

Other links for So Punk Rock:

The Tribe Myspace page:
myspace.com/tribenj

Ari on Twitter:
twitter.com/rockonari

Reena on Twitter:
twitter.com/NJchoirGRRL

VOYA

Ari Abramson dreams of being in a punk rock band because guys in bands get girls like Sari Horowitz. At least that is what Ari hopes. He recruits his musically challenged but charismatic best friend, Jonas, to play bass and manages to convince two siblings who actually have some musical talent—drummer Yossi and singer Reena—to join as well. All four teens go to Leo R. Gittleman Jewish Day School together. The setting is key, as Ari and his friends define themselves by their culture. The band actually has a few semi-successful gigs before internal conflicts wreak havoc, someone else gets Sari, and the band breaks up. In the aftermath, Ari finds real love, starts to open up to his parents, and gains some direction in his life. The characters are stock—self-absorbed Jonas, smart-cookie-who-Ari-should-like Reena, heart-and-soul-of-the-group Yossi, looking-for-his-way Ari. The story is simple, predictable, and mildly fun. There are a few pages of comic art interspersed throughout the book. The art is charming, simple black-and-white line drawings, but the reasons for inclusion are curious because they do nothing to move the story along. Still for teens who love music and dream of being in a band, this novel might be a pleasant way to pass a rainy afternoon. Reviewer: Geri Diorio