El Deafo

This book was so charming! It's the true story of the author Cece Bell's experience of growing up deaf.
The graphic novel format was the perfect way to tell the story.
This book is on the 2016-2017 Battle of the Books list. I am so excited that lots of kids will be reading it this year!
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I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was really cute and it was a fairly easy read.

This is another nonfiction book, but looking at it, you probably wouldn't guess that. It's about the author who lost her hearing and had to grow up wearing hearing aids and how that affected her friendships, school life, and self esteem. One thing I really liked about this book was the style. It's a true story, but its written like a comic book, so we get to see the author's thoughts and then we also get speech bubbles for dialogue from the characters. It makes learning about the author's life more interesting and attention grabbing. She also decided to portray everyone as bunnies which makes it even more enjoyable to read this nonfiction book. Another thing I liked about this story was that there was a lot of detail. While reading, there was never a time when I had to pause and backtrack to figure out what something was. Everything was very thoroughly explained and it made the book easier to read because you weren't left wondering about how something happened. For example, the book covered about 4 or 5 years of her life and whenever a large amount of time passed, she made sure to include it in either the text or dialogue. I think the main message in this book is about being comfortable and confident in yourself. Throughout the book, she struggles with embarrassment during school because her hearing aid is very visible and other students treat her differently. She creates this character for herself called "El Deafo" and whenever there's a situation she's unsure of, the comic would shift to "El Deafo" who was brave and spoke her mind. By the end of the book, "El Deafo" comes to life and Cece finally feels comfortable with herself. ( )

This is a Realistic Fiction book, written and illustrated as a graphic novel. This book falls under the common core standard of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2, it is a cartoon based novel inspired by someones experience but the story is fiction. I would recommend this book for 3rd grade and up reading level. It is mainly graphics but the concept of the book is geared towards an older reader. The novel engaged the reader in a lot of self reflecting, something that may not be easily done by an even younger reader.
The graphic novel shares a story about a girl who is deaf and caries a type of amplifier to hear better and transitioning from a deaf school to a regular school. She has a lot of anxiety about fitting in and about what her peers will think of her or treat her because of her impairment and device. The graphic novel did a great job of capturing, visually and verbally expressing, what Cece was feeling from finding out about her impairment and transitioning to a typical school environment. It is a relatable book for children who have any impairments or are just self-conscious about themselves. ( )

El Deafo was an amazing book to read. In my opinion, it suits both adults like myself and younger children. I always admire books that manage to talk about a serious topic like disabilities, without making it very dramatic, but still, convey an important message. I think the author (and the hero) Cece Bell (who is the illustrator, too) wanted the book to be "lightweight", easy to read, and funny while being truthful to what Cece felt and experienced. The illustrations in the book are not just good and descriptive drawings, they are hilarious, too. I liked that Cece's character is well-developed: she is not perfect and that is portrayed as a regular child with the same issues that other children her age might have, apart from one big thing - her hearing. If you think about it, she really only talks about her life, friendships, and experiences, but the story is narrated in such a way that it feels like a plot that makes you eager to find out what is next. Needless to say, this book did push me to think about some people that I have met that had a hearing disability, and even though I do not remember treating anyone unfairly or differently, I did not stop to think about it much. I think this book should be a required reading in middle or high school. ( )

A 2015 Newbery Honor Book Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid.
The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for. ( )