El Deafo Summary
Cece Bell

El Deafo Overview

El Deafo is a Newberry Honor award-winning graphic novel memoir that tells the story of Cece Bell, a kindergartener whose life undergoes a major transformation when she survives a bout with meningitis, but emerges with a hearing impairment. As she moves through elementary school, Cece slowly learns to conquer the shame she feels about her uniqueness and instead, comes to embrace her identity in a way she had never thought possible. The story of Cece and her alter ego El Deafo, a persona she invents in order to help her summon the confidence she needs to thrive, includes themes such as guilt, courage, friendship, and trust.