Have you ever read Wonder? My eighth grade students read it this year in preparation for the movie release. (We took all of our students to go see it.) I also had other students request to read the book once I had several copies in my classroom. Almost every student who read the book loved it and was begging for more books like it. In desperation of finding something to give these students, I scoured the internet for Wonder readalikes and ordered a whole bunch that I began reading. One of these books was El Deafo by Cece Bell. Her graphic novel memoir follows a young girl who loses her hearing at the age of four due to meningitis. She details her life, especially focusing on her self-consciousness and her struggles making friends who could actually relate to her. Cece goes through many struggles on her way to finding acceptance and friendship, encountering many people who are not true friends, but the overall lesson of becoming comfortable in our own skin and loving what it is that makes us unique makes this book a wonderful read. One element of this story I found particularly appealing is when Cece creates a super hero alter ego: El Deafo. She takes on this character when she feels like she cannot express herself fully. El Deafo is able to do things Cece cannot, but as the reader follows the story Cece and El Deafo begin to merge into one as Cece becomes more comfortable in her own skin. El Deafo is accessible, sweet, inspiring, and an all around wonderful book for anyone to read. I recommend it, especially if you like to read stories that place you in another person's shoes and ask you to consider what life must be like for them. Go pick it up! Here's to finding a good book!
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