El Deafo

I saw El Deafo by CeCe Bell on the list of Newbery Honor winners for 2015, so I checked it out from the library.  This book tells the story of CeCe, a young girl who becomes deaf when she's four. With her huge Phonic Ear hearing aid and friends that never seem to last, CeCe experiences a lot of loneliness. But she imagines herself as a super hero (El Deafo) and doesn't give up on finding a friend who will like her for who she is.

This was a neat book. When I got it from the library, I was surprised to see that it was a graphic novel. I wasn't sure if I still wanted to read it, but after glancing through the first few pages, it caught my attention. It was an engaging story with lots of characters to love and hate. At the end, I realized that this book is a memoir based on the author's actual childhood--which made it even cooler. I really liked the "Note from the Author" at the end and her concluding words: "Our differences are our superpowers."

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)