El Deafo

Cece Bell’s #1 New York Times Bestseller graphic novel El Deafo is the origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid becoming a superhero.

A John Newbery Medal Winner

Now an Apple+ Animated TV Series!

Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear, she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in the school—in the hallway . . . in the teacher’s lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most: a true friend?

El Deafo is a book that will entertain children, give hearing-impaired children a hero of their own, and challenge others to consider an experience unlike their own. Like other great works for children, it provides the opportunity for young readers to consider how they would act or react in a similar situation, helping to build empathy and understanding through the power of story.

Also Available: El Deafo: Superpowered Edition! Get a special hardcover collector’s edition of Cece Bell’s beloved graphic novel with 40 bonus pages of childhood photographs, early sketches, notes from Cece, and much more!

Author Biography

Cece Bell is the author of the Newbery Honor Book and Eisner Award winner El Deafo, which received four starred reviews and was a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of Rabbit and Robot, winner of a Geisel Honor. Cece lives with her husband, the author Tom Angleberger, in Christiansburg, Virginia.