So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother Paperback – July 8, 2009

Micol Ostow (author) and her brother David (author) grew up in New Jersey. David even still lives in NJ, at least at the time of this writing (2009). They, like the characters, attended a Jewish Day School in Essex County (not the one I know of, as that is more traditional, but there are apparently a few in Essex, which makes sense).I honestly thought the two were teens at the time of the writing. Micol writes the characters very well and the drawings...well, the comics were a bit juvenile. HOWEVER, given the audience, it works very well. I really enjoyed the artwork and comics. The glossary at the end was great. I laughed a lot, both at the prose and the art.The main character, Ari, doesn't let his Judaism be his sole definition. His passion is in rock music. He's a junior in high school and is best friends with Jonas Fein, who is a jerkoff and I can see a lot of people I knew in high school in him.And in Ari.And in their bandmates, Yossi Gluck & Yossi's younger sister (a freshman), Reena.I liked seeing the friendship form between the Glucks and others. The drama that unfolded wasn't too awful (though I'm so tired of teenagers drinking and cheating. That's what I get for reading YA) and mostly realistic.As the story unfolds, we get information on Ari, his family, school community, and other things as needed.Jonas' cursing bothers me a lot. Not so much as a reader, but as a person. He is so disrespectful that I just want to punch him.Yossi is awesome and I want to hug him for the verbal abuse he endures from his classmates.Ari's younger brother Ben is adorable.I learned that SATs are offered on Sundays for religious reasons, and that is awesome.The story definitely dates itself with talk of MySpace, IM, and no face-to-face technology (it's a relief, really, and I forgot how great those days were).The bad:- The day after Yossi turns 17, he drives into NYC. Not only does that seem OOC for his behavior, but it's also extreme. NYC streets are a madhouse, and no 17-year-old from the NJ suburbs is prepared to drive them the day after he gets his license.- There is a sophomore with a license. That makes me cringe. The Ostows grew up in NJ and must know the driving age is 17. What the hell sophomore at a Jewish prep school is seventeen?

Ari Abramson, has had life his all planned for him for years. But as he approaches his junior year at Leo R. Gittleman High School, a Jewish day school in New Jersey, he realizes that he doesn't want what his parents and his teachers expect of him. He wants to be a rock star. Lofty dream? Yeah, but with it, he sees freedom, respect of his peers, and most of all being noticed by Sari Horowitz. Ari draws together arrogant but handsome and popular Jonas Fein to play bass and pudgy, bookish Yossi Gluck to play drums and who can offer the band the use of his family's indoor racquet ball court to practice in. But there's a catch, Yossi's parents insist that the band include Yossi's little sister, freshman Reena Gluck, who by the way can sing like Nora Jones. Also, Yossi has a number of restrictions on when they practice and where they perform because he's more strict in his practice of Jewish codes than his peers. Oh, and there are a couple of other things: They all need to learn how to play their instruments, and they need to keep all of this from Ari's parents!The band, called the Tribe, finally manages to pull together a version of "Hava Nagilah," a traditional Jewish folk song, and they play it for a one-song gig at a friend's Bar Mitzvah. The kids are instant hits. But instead of the band bringing all sorts of perks and an entrance to a teenage Nirvana, the kids find themselves dealing with egos, the downside of fame, groupies, and misplaced love, as well as sneaking out, fender-benders, and a bit of underage drinking. They find that being a rock star isn't all it's cracked up to be. But the lessons learned and the friendships the band forges are priceless.This fun romp through teenage angst and life lessons is presented in So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow and illustrated by David Ostow. It is a mix of text and graphic novel illustrations that will make it a big hit with youthful readers. The characters are fresh and ones you don't always see in teenage literature because these are Jewish Conservative students who come from families who observe Jewish religion and culture in varying ways. Though I knew a lot about Jewish practices, I was surprised as how Micol Ostow was able to explain these to readers without going into long discussions. The author also did include an illustrated glossary at the back of the book for further clarification.I was surprised, though, to find that book was written not by a man, but by a woman, in first person. To some adult readers, this ongoing teenage monolog would be tedious, but I found it true to life and just as applicable to my grand-nephews who are Christian as it would be to other Jewish children.Young readers will love So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother and might learn a lot about another culture and religion.

The book combines a graphic novel with a regular novel. The story shows the relationship between four teens who start a band called "The Tribe". The main character Ari Abramson is the mastermind behind the band. He wants to be cool and impress a girl called Sari. He enlists the help of three other students from his Jewish Day school. Jonas is his best friend and has no trouble being cool. Yossi plays the drums and his sister, Reena, who belongs to the school choir will be the singer. They get their chance to show their talents when they play at a friend's Bar Mitzvah. Everyone was so impressed that they became an overnight sensation. Read the book to find out more. You will be very impressed.The illustrations placed throughout the book were hilarious. There were some terms in the book that I was not familiar with since I am not of the Jewish faith. The authors provided a glossary that was not only informative but very funny. I usually do not read graphic novels but I did not skip any of graphics that were in the book.Check out the site [...] to see some of the illustrations and read about the authors.