El Deafo by Cece Bell

 Bell, C., & Lasky, D. (2014). El Deafo. New York, NY: Amulet Books. 

Cede is an ordinary child that enjoys spending time with her family and friends. That is until one day when she notices that something is different about her, she has lost her hearing. She now has to use a hearing aid to help her when she is at school, and this is what sets her apart from many of the other kids. After loosing and regaining different friendships in school, Cece sees now how important it is to find strength within yourself and be true to who you are. 

I did enjoy reading El Deafo because Cece goes through a lot of emotions that students can relate to. That feeling of inadequacy or fear of being different or losing your best friend can cause havoc to any child of any age, even to some adults! I believe that students of any age can read and relate to this graphic novel because of the message that it brings to it.  I can see it working in grades 4 and up because of the images as well as content in the novel. Teachers could use this book in order to relate to a theme of individuality, acceptance, or tolerance. I feel that Bell created a novel that would be able to be used in the Do The Write Thing campaign that is promoted in many school districts in my area as well as in other states. 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!