Book review: El Deafo

Written by Cece Bell
Available from bookshops
Price: £8.99 RRP
Ages: 5 to 10

Reviewed by Lara (8), who is profoundly deaf in one ear and wears a bone-anchored hearing aid on a softband. 

‘El Deafo’ is about a girl called Cece, who gets meningitis which then makes her deaf. Cece was named after the author, Cece Bell.

At the start of the book, Cece moves schools. At her old school everyone in her class was deaf, but when her family move house and she moves school, no one is deaf in her class, which makes Cece feel lonely. She gets a hearing aid called the phonic ear, where the teacher has a microphone which connects to it so Cece can hear. But Cece notices that she can hear the teacher anywhere, even in the toilet! It’s like she has her own superpower.

My favourite part was when Cece met Martha and they became friends. It made me feel happy for Cece because it’s hard making friends, especially when you’re deaf.

I really like ‘El Deafo’, but before I started to read it I wasn’t that sure about reading a graphic novel, because I had never read one before. I enjoyed it loads though because the pictures help you understand what’s going on.

I have read a book similar to ‘El Deafo’ called ‘Harriet Versus the Galaxy’. It was about a girl who was deaf, but with her hearing aid she could hear aliens talk! I recommend this book to anyone, not just deaf children.