El Deafo
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4.8 • 31 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Cece Bell’s #1 New York Times Bestseller graphic novel El Deafo is the origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid becoming a superhero.
A John Newbery Medal Winner
Now an Apple+ Animated TV Series!
Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear, she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in the school—in the hallway . . . in the teacher’s lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All.
But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most: a true friend?
El Deafo is a book that will entertain children, give hearing-impaired children a hero of their own, and challenge others to consider an experience unlike their own. Like other great works for children, it provides the opportunity for young readers to consider how they would act or react in a similar situation, helping to build empathy and understanding through the power of story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A bout of childhood meningitis left Bell (Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover) deaf at age four, and she was prescribed a Phonic Ear, with a receiver draped across her chest and a remote microphone her teachers wore. Her graphic memoir records both the indignities of being a deaf child in a hearing community ("IS. THAT. AAAY. HEAR-ING. AAAID?") and its joys, as when she discovers that the microphone picks up every word her teacher says anywhere in the school. Bell's earnest rabbit/human characters, her ability to capture her own sonic universe ("eh sounz lah yur unnah wawah!"), and her invention of an alter ego the cape-wearing El Deafo, who gets her through stressful encounters ("How can El Deafo free herself from the shackles of this weekly humiliation?" she asks as her mother drags her to another excruciating sign language class) all combine to make this a standout autobiography. Cece's predilection for bursting into tears at the wrong time belies a gift for resilience that makes her someone readers will enjoy getting to know. Ages 8 12.
Customer Reviews
Best. Book. Ever!
Hello, I'm here to say that this is the best book ever, even if your Deaf, it's still worth the reading. Yet, I am very sorry for Cecelia Bell, the author to lose her hearing.
Sincerely, Danica
Amazing
If you liked smile or sisters you sure to love this. Great book and totally recommend
Worth a read
This is an adorable book that I have enjoyed and shared with my 9 year old sister and mom (who both love it). The story is relatable wether you are deaf or not.
I certainly recommend it, however believe the experience is made better with a paperback book. This is simply my opinion. The story in e-book format and print is obviously the same, so I guess that only matters to me, but... I don't know.
You just need this story in your mind, however you read it.