NextPage Kids
Free family account
All guides
El Deafo book cover
Find at your libraryBuy on Bookshop.orgBuy on AmazonAffiliate links. We earn a small amount if you buy, and it never changes a verdict. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Ages 8+1-min guideGraphic novelFriendshipSchool

El Deafo

by Cece Bell
Good fitA great fit for most kids 8 and up. A funny, honest graphic memoir about growing up deaf.
Create a free family account to see a verdict for each of your kids.

What it’s about

After an illness, Cece loses her hearing and gets a big hearing aid. She discovers it lets her hear her teacher anywhere in the school, and she imagines herself as a superhero, El Deafo.

The ending

What might come up

IllnessA littleCece gets meningitis.
Unkind behaviorA littleFriends who don’t understand.
ViolenceNone
LanguageA littleOne use of 'hell.'
RomanceA littleA small crush.

Why kids like it

A hearing aid that becomes a superpower.

Free printable quiz

  1. 1
    Why does Cece lose her hearing?
  2. 2
    What is her hearing aid called?
  3. 3
    What can she hear?
  4. 4
    What does she call herself?
If they liked this

Read next

Smile book cover
SmileRaina Telgemeier

It’s a comic book that feels like it’s about you.

Out of My Mind book cover
Out of My MindSharon M. Draper

Melody’s voice is funny, sharp and impossible to forget.

New Kid book cover
New KidJerry Craft

Jordan’s own comics are mixed into the story.

Buy links are affiliate links. We earn a small amount if you buy, and it never changes a verdict.
Parents also ask

Quick answers

Most kids can read it on their own from about age 8. As a read-aloud, it works from about age 7.