El Deafo

Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang are best friends with one goal: to crack the code of popularity. Lydiaand#8217;s the bold one: aspiring theater star, stick-fighting enthusiast, human guinea pig. Julieand#8217;s the shy one: observer and artist, accidental field hockey star, faithful recorder. In this notebook they write down their observations and carry out experiments to try to determine what makes the popular girls tick. But somehow, when Lydia and Julie try to imitate the popular girls, their efforts donand#8217;t translate into instant popularity. Lydia ends up with a bald spot, their parents wonand#8217;t stop yelling, and Julie finds herself the number-one crush of Roland Asbjand#248;rnsen. Worse, they seem to be drifting farther and farther from their goaland#8212;and each other.

Amy Ignatowand#8217;s hilarious debut novel introduces the intrepid fifth-graders Julie and Lydia, whose quest to understand popularity may not succeed in the ways they want, but will succeed in keeping readers in stitches.

From Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:

Lydia and Julie, BFFs since birth, are now preparing to enter junior high, and they're on a mission to become popular. First, however, they have to determine exactly how popularity is achieved, so they decide to approach the matter as any good scientist would: observe those creatures already at the height of popularity and apply said observations to themselves, in the hopes of cracking into that mysterious world of junior-high stardom. The two record their observations and the often spectacularly unsuccessful outcomes of their various social experiments in a scrapbook-like journal, complete with notes passed at school, lists of projected popularity goals, and credibly goofy and kidlike drawings. The story here is fairly familiar: the girls fail miserably at their first attempts at the A-list (Lydia's hair falls out after a botched dye job, among other disasters) but eventually find acceptance in the upper echelon, only to learn the valuable lesson that it's the people you're most comfortable around who make the best friends. The diary format, however, adds an extra dimension of funny, and as in Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid series about Greg Heffley, it allows Julie and Lydia to come alive through their witty dialogue, their perceptive commentary, and even their characteristic handwriting. Secondary characters shine as well, particularly Julie's embarrassing but ultimately charming two dads, along with Lydia's goth-punk sister, a font of random quips and junior high wisdom. The popular kids end up being far from perfect and each has issues of her own to contend with, making the actual friendships that form among the girls all the more endearing. Those waiting for the next installment of Greg Heffley's adventures will be well served by this amusing experiment in sixth-grade celebrity. KQG

"A bout of childhood meningitis left Bell (Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover) deaf at age four, and she was prescribed a Phonic Ear, with a receiver draped across her chest and a remote microphone her teachers wore. Her graphic memoir records both the indignities of being a deaf child in a hearing community ('IS. THAT. AAAY. HEAR-ING. AAAID?') and its joys, as when she discovers that the microphone picks up every word her teacher says anywhere in the school. Bell's earnest rabbit/human characters, her ability to capture her own sonic universe ('eh sounz lah yur unnah wawah!'), and her invention of an alter ego — the cape-wearing El Deafo, who gets her through stressful encounters ('How can El Deafo free herself from the shackles of this weekly humiliation?' she asks as her mother drags her to another excruciating sign language class) — all combine to make this a standout autobiography. Cece's predilection for bursting into tears at the wrong time belies a gift for resilience that makes her someone readers will enjoy getting to know. Ages 8 — 12. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

andquot;This book is aimed at middle schoolers, but this poignant story is one people of all ages will enjoy and can learn from.andquot;

andquot;Bellandrsquo;s book should be an inspiration forandnbsp; those who are andlsquo;different,andrsquo; and it should help others to understand just what being different means. Required reading isnandrsquo;t always fun reading. El Deafo should be the first and is definitely the second.andquot;

andquot;This funny and poignant memoir in graphic novel format about a child grappling with hearing loss, entering school and making friends is ideal for kids navigating new experiences.andquot;

STARRED REVIEW

andquot;This warmly and humorously illustrated full-color graphic novel set in the suburban andlsquo;70s has all the gripping characters and inflated melodrama of late childhood: a crush on a neighborhood boy, the bossy friend, the too-sensitive-to-her-Deafness friend, and the perfect friend, scared away.andquot;

STARRED REVIEW

andquot;This memoir is thus exceptionally informative and entertaining in relation to some aspects of deaf communication, but, most centrally and powerfully, it is exceptional for its perceptive, indomitable protagonist and complex story of friendship, growth, and classroom and family dynamics.andquot;

New York Times Bestseller
A 2015 Newbery Honor Book Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful--and very awkward--hearing aid.
The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for.
PRAISE FOR EL DEAFO
STARRED REVIEWS
"A standout autobiography. Someone readers will enjoy getting to know."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Worthy of a superhero."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This empowering autobiographical story belongs right next to Raina Telgemeier's Smile (2011) and Liz Prince's Tomboy."
--Booklist

A 2015 Newbery Honor Book Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerfulandmdash;and very awkwardandmdash;hearing aid.

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hearandmdash;sometimes things she shouldnandrsquo;tandmdash;but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become andldquo;El Deafo, Listener for All.andrdquo; And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend sheandrsquo;s longed for.

PRAISE FOR EL DEAFO

STARRED REVIEWS

andquot;A standout autobiography. Someone readers will enjoy getting to know.andquot;

--Publishers Weekly, starred review

andquot;Worthy of a superhero.andquot;

--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

andquot;This empowering autobiographical story belongs right next to Raina Telgemeierandrsquo;s Smile (2011) and Liz Princeandrsquo;s Tomboy.andquot;

--Booklist

Amy Ignatow is an illustrator and teacher who has also been a farmer, a florist, a short-order vegan cook, a dancing chicken, an SAT prep instructor, a telefundraiser, a wedding singer, a ghostwriter for Internet personal ads, a reporter, and an air-brush face and body painter working under the name and#147;Ooga.and#8221; She graduated from Moore College of Art and Design and lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Mark, and their cat, Mathilda, whom they believe to be well-meaning despite all evidence to the contrary.