A full cast performs Cece Bell's graphic memoir for kids. After losing her hearing during a childhood illness, Cece starts school with special earphones that are attached to a large box around her neck. With her box, she navigates making friends and working hard in her classes. The cast performs the dialogue among the many characters, giving each one a unique voice. The sound production of the audiobook imitates what Cece hears through her hearing aid, illustrating the different kinds of sounds she experiences. When needed, the audio includes descriptions that help listeners picture Cece's world. With the vibrant performances of the cast and the careful attention to production, this audiobook is sure to engage listeners young and old. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

It takes a bit of an inner superhero to get along as someone "special" in a classroom full of "normal" kids. Bell's book should be an inspiration for those who are "different," and it should help others to understand just what being different means. Required reading isn't always fun reading. El Deafo should be the first and is definitely the second.

★ 07/07/2014
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. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept.)

"Bell’s book should be an inspiration for those who are ‘different,’ and it should help others to understand just what being different means. Required reading isn’t always fun reading. El Deafo should be the first and is definitely the second."

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This memoir is thus exceptionally informative and entertaining in relation to some aspects of deaf communication, but, most centrally and powerfully, it is exceptional for its perceptive, indomitable protagonist and complex story of friendship, growth, and classroom and family dynamics."

"This funny and poignant memoir in graphic novel format about a child grappling with hearing loss, entering school and making friends is ideal for kids navigating new experiences."

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This memoir is thus exceptionally informative and entertaining in relation to some aspects of deaf communication, but, most centrally and powerfully, it is exceptional for its perceptive, indomitable protagonist and complex story of friendship, growth, and classroom and family dynamics."

STARRED REVIEW
"This memoir is thus exceptionally informative and entertaining in relation to some aspects of deaf communication, but, most centrally and powerfully, it is exceptional for its perceptive, indomitable protagonist and complex story of friendship, growth, and classroom and family dynamics."

"Bell’s book should be an inspiration for those who are ‘different,’ and it should help others to understand just what being different means. Required reading isn’t always fun reading. El Deafo should be the first and is definitely the second."

"This book is aimed at middle schoolers, but this poignant story is one people of all ages will enjoy and can learn from."

★ 09/01/2014
Gr 2–6—Cece loses her hearing from spinal meningitis, and takes readers through the arduous journey of learning to lip read and decipher the noise of her hearing aid, with the goal of finding a true friend. This warmly and humorously illustrated full-color graphic novel set in the suburban '70s has all the gripping characters and inflated melodrama of late childhood: a crush on a neighborhood boy, the bossy friend, the too-sensitive-to-her-Deafness friend, and the perfect friend, scared away. The characters are all rabbits. The antics of her hearing aid connected to a FM unit (an amplifier the teacher wears) are spectacularly funny. When Cece's teacher leaves the FM unit on, Cece hears everything: bathroom visits, even teacher lounge improprieties It is her superpower. She deems herself El Deafo! inspired in part by a bullied Deaf child featured in an Afterschool Special. Cece fearlessly fantasizes retaliations. Nevertheless, she rejects ASL because it makes visible what she is trying to hide. She ventures, "Who cares what everyone thinks!" But she does care. She loathes the designation "special," and wants to pass for hearing. Bell tells it all: the joy of removing her hearing aid in summer, the troubles watching the TV when the actor turns his back, and the agony of slumber party chats in the dark. Included is an honest and revealing afterword, which addresses the author's early decision not to learn ASL, her more mature appreciation for the language, and her adage that, "Our differences are our superpowers."—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City

A full cast performs Cece Bell's graphic memoir for kids. After losing her hearing during a childhood illness, Cece starts school with special earphones that are attached to a large box around her neck. With her box, she navigates making friends and working hard in her classes. The cast performs the dialogue among the many characters, giving each one a unique voice. The sound production of the audiobook imitates what Cece hears through her hearing aid, illustrating the different kinds of sounds she experiences. When needed, the audio includes descriptions that help listeners picture Cece's world. With the vibrant performances of the cast and the careful attention to production, this audiobook is sure to engage listeners young and old. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

★ 2014-07-22
A humorous and touching graphic memoir about finding friendship and growing up deaf. When Cece is 4 years old, she becomes "severely to profoundly" deaf after contracting meningitis. Though she is fitted with a hearing aid and learns to read lips, it's a challenging adjustment for her. After her family moves to a new town, Cece begins first grade at a school that doesn't have separate classes for the deaf. Her nifty new hearing aid, the Phonic Ear, allows her to hear her teacher clearly, even when her teacher is in another part of the school. Cece's new ability makes her feel like a superhero—just call her "El Deafo"—but the Phonic Ear is still hard to hide and uncomfortable to wear. Cece thinks, "Superheroes might be awesome, but they are also different. And being different feels a lot like being alone." Bell (Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover, 2012) shares her childhood experiences of being hearing impaired with warmth and sensitivity, exploiting the graphic format to amplify such details as misheard speech. Her whimsical color illustrations (all the human characters have rabbit ears and faces), clear explanations and Cece's often funny adventures help make the memoir accessible and entertaining. Readers will empathize with Cece as she tries to find friends who aren't bossy or inconsiderate, and they'll rejoice with her when she finally does. Worthy of a superhero. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 8 & up)