What’s El Deafo about?
El Deafo is a funny, deeply honest graphic novel memoir for middle graders. It chronicles the author’s hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with a powerful and very awkward hearing aid called the Phonic Ear. It gives her 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, Phonic Ear and all. Finally, she is 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.
Now watch this!
Other things to do
Read an interview with Cece Bell by Whiteheath book ninjas
And now write your review
The Guardian young critics competition is for all young readers to share their views on any of the longlisted books. Anyone aged 18 or under can enter by writing a review of no more than 500 words of one of the books longlisted for the prize. Individuals or school/library classes/bookgroups can enter and there are great prizes to be won including all the longlisted books and being invited to the books party of the year, the Guardian children’s fiction prize award ceremony in November.
You can find out more and enter the competition here.
You can find out more about all the authors on the Guardian children’s fiction prize book club page links and info will be added as they go live, one author a week for eight weeks!
