From Goodreads,"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."
Goodreads - El Deafo
Awards:
- Newberry Honor (2015)
- Charlotte Huck Honor Book (2015)
- Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12) (2015)
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2016)
- Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 3-6 (2016)
This book is a graphic novel that tells the childhood tell of Cece Bell. This memoir is about how she felt different because she couldn't hear. The reader quickly learns what happened to Cece for her to lose her hearing, and how she managed to handle being deaf. Throughout the book Cece also struggles to make and keep friends. This is a profoundly moving book.
A student recommended this book to me, so I took the time and money and ordered the book. I finally sat down one weekend to read it. Needless to say, I read this book in about 2-3 hours. This book is written in a graphic novel format, which makes it a fairly quick read. I loved how honest and pure this book was about life without hearing. The book mentions that many people talk slow or talk extremely loud because they think it will help the hearing impaired person understand better, when in all reality, it is easier if you just talk normally. This book had lots of interesting tidbits about the hearing impaired that I wasn't aware of. But most importantly, this book painted a vivid picture of what life is like when you are hearing impaired. Cece struggled to make and keep friends because she was hearing impaired. I think that many kids, even those who aren't hearing impaired, can relate to this because they have been in a similar situation before. I just felt like this book was very raw and relatable. I expect that students will truly enjoy this book.
The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it said the word "he**" and it mentioned teachers making questionable choices such as smoking in the teacher's lounge and leaving children unattended. It also mentioned hearing the teacher's going to the bathroom. I may find it inappropriate, but most students would find it comical to know what the teacher is doing at all times when they aren't in the classroom.
I give this book 5 stars. I hope that some of my other students will pick up this book and give it a chance, especially since it is a graphic novel, and students consider graphic novels "quick reads".
A student recommended this book to me, so I took the time and money and ordered the book. I finally sat down one weekend to read it. Needless to say, I read this book in about 2-3 hours. This book is written in a graphic novel format, which makes it a fairly quick read. I loved how honest and pure this book was about life without hearing. The book mentions that many people talk slow or talk extremely loud because they think it will help the hearing impaired person understand better, when in all reality, it is easier if you just talk normally. This book had lots of interesting tidbits about the hearing impaired that I wasn't aware of. But most importantly, this book painted a vivid picture of what life is like when you are hearing impaired. Cece struggled to make and keep friends because she was hearing impaired. I think that many kids, even those who aren't hearing impaired, can relate to this because they have been in a similar situation before. I just felt like this book was very raw and relatable. I expect that students will truly enjoy this book.
The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it said the word "he**" and it mentioned teachers making questionable choices such as smoking in the teacher's lounge and leaving children unattended. It also mentioned hearing the teacher's going to the bathroom. I may find it inappropriate, but most students would find it comical to know what the teacher is doing at all times when they aren't in the classroom.
I give this book 5 stars. I hope that some of my other students will pick up this book and give it a chance, especially since it is a graphic novel, and students consider graphic novels "quick reads".
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