In this graphic novel memoir, Cece Bell (Rabbit and Robot) describes navigating life as a hearing-impaired young person with a Phonic Ear. It's a universal story about trying to figure out who you want to be and where you belong.
When Cece was four years old, she was diagnosed with meningitis. In the hospital, "everything is so quiet." Suddenly Cece goes from having a "normal" childhood to feeling left out of conversations and television shows. Bell's ironic choice to use rabbits, who have large ears, as characters, combined with the very real portrayal of her parents, friendships and school, make Cece a heroine with whom children can easily identify. Cece struggles with the implications of wearing her Phonic Ear, a box that amplifies sound that she wears around her neck, struggling with how to hide it and when to wear it. One of the book's central dilemmas involves Cece's realization that the aid not only makes it easier for her to understand her teachers, but also lets her hear the teacher outside of the classroom (e.g., in the bathroom). If Cece confides her secret, will it gain her friends or make enemies of her peers? Should she divulge the "superpowers" the Phonic Ear gives her?
Readers will delight in the insightful and funny thoughts Cece shares through the guise of her cape-wearing alter ego, the superhero El Deafo. Cece's universal feelings make this memoir accessible to anyone who has experienced moments of awkwardness in wondering what others are thinking, making friends or wishing they had super powers. --Susannah Richards, associate professor, Eastern Connecticut State University