Graphic Novel Review - El Deafo by Cece Bell

First off, let me say that I am not a big graphic novel fan. Nothing against them - in fact, comics and graphic novels are what brought my husband and I together - and there are a number that I've enjoyed. It's just that I am far more likely to choose something else when I have leisure reading time.

But whenever a graphic novel pops up on my radar as many times as tonight's pick has, I feel pretty sure it's something I better make time to read. And when I enjoy a book as much as I did Cece Bell's El Deafo, I start thinking that graphic novels should be added into my rotation a little more frequently. (It's been a banner month for the format for me - first Sisters by Raina Telgemeier, now El Deafo!)

So, to the review: Cece Bell is an accomplished illustrator but El Deafo is her graphic novel debut. You'd never guess it, though, as it's a fully realized work with no false moments or plot threads left dangling. Likely that's because El Deafo is largely autobiographical. I say largely because the main character in El Deafo is a bunny named Cece Bell - presumably the author is not in fact a rabbit, but I don't totally know that because I haven't met her (maybe someday).

El Deafo tells Bell's story of growing up with severe deafness as a result of contracting meningitis when she was four years old. Don't think that she's going to gloss over any parts of her illness just because the book is for young readers; Bell talks about being in pain, about not knowing why, and the scariness of first realizing that she could no longer hear. We follow her through getting hearing aids, then a more powerful hearing aid for school - thus becoming, in time, "El Deafo", a girl with supersonic hearing thanks to her Phonic Ear and the microphone her teachers have to wear. (One superpower? Being able to hear when the teacher is coming back to the room so everyone can scramble back to their seats. Niiiiice.)

Bell is candid here about the ups and downs of her childhood, which I think all readers can relate to, hearing or not. There's a good dose of humor, and she's not afraid to laugh at herself or others - I really love that she brings out how one friend goes WAAY overboard with accentuating in-di-vi-du-al sy-ll-a-bl-es. El Deafo is Cece's alter ego, a person who does all the things Cece herself isn't always brave enough to do, like calling out that same friend for her pronunciation exaggeration. And I like that the struggles Cece faces don't always have to do with her deafness, but are rather those that kids and former kids everywhere will get - like feeling awkward, being frustrated with your mom, having trouble finding and keeping friends. That's childhood, people, and we all know what those issues are about.

Readers who enjoyed Smile and Sisters are a natural fit for this one. But go a bit further too - to readers who like novels like Wonder or A View from Saturday. El Deafo is one of my favorite books of this year, or any year really. Share this one with your kids, for the bright wit and serious insights, and the sheer joy of a story brilliantly crafted.

El Deafo by Cece Bell, published by Amulet Books
Ages 9-12
Source: Library
Highly recommended

Chapter Book Review - Wonder by RJ Palacio

"I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go."

Thus begins RJ Palacio's Wonder, an aptly named middle-grade novel that just may be my favorite book of 2012.

And that's saying something, because I've read some fantastic stuff this past year. But Wonder is like nothing else -- funny, heartbreaking, emotional, and absolutely an all-around incredible piece of work. I've seen a lot of hype about this one in the blogosphere, and having just turned the last page, I can tell you that all that high praise is richly deserved.

Wonder is Palacio's debut, and it's hard to know where she'll go from here, because she's definitely set a high mark for herself. The novel tells the story of August "Auggie" Pullman, who is in every way a pretty normal fifth grader, with the usual interests of a boy his age. But there's one thing very, very different about Auggie - he was born with a rare genetic disorder that manifests itself in a "craniofacial abnormality", as his older sister Via describes it. Auggie and his family have spent their lives dealing with Auggie's condition, through multiple surgeries and treatments to the looks and whispered comments from others when they first see Auggie. And the Pullmans have gotten pretty good at handling all of it.

But when Auggie starts fifth grade, his parents decide it's time for real school. No more homeschooling with his mom. Auggie's not sure he's ready, and he's more than a little nervous about how things will go with the other kids. Will he make any friends? Will the other kids ever get past Auggie's face and look at who he really, really is?

Palacio completely nails the experience of being the one who doesn't blend into the crowd. And still, she never makes Auggie a pathetic character or someone to be pitied - far from it. Writing from the point of view of Auggie, as well as several other pivotal characters, she tells Auggie's story as it impacts everyone. His presence at Beecher Prep not only changes Auggie's life, but many other people's as well, in ways that no one could have foreseen when the school year started. The reader begins to understand how Auggie's face serves as a mirror to all those around him; looking at Auggie, you see yourself in unexpected ways. How each character deals with that unexpected reaction provides the narrative drive for the story, and is what makes this an outstanding novel for everyone, not just middle schoolers. I'm hard pressed to think of a book that exemplifies the experience of empathy in such a way, by showing what it looks in real life, not after-school specials.

The center point around which Auggie's story turns is a quote by Wayne Dyer: "When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." It's one thing to talk to our kids about bullying, about the importance of standing up for others and not joining in with the crowd. It's another to show them what bullying looks like. This is a book that can do that, without preaching or shutting kids down. I know it's one that I'll be reading with Sprout when he's older.

Share Wonder with the kids in your life, but read it yourself first. Auggie Pullman is someone you'll want to know.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Ages 9-13
Source: Library
Sample: "The thing is, when I was little, I never minded meeting new kids because all the kids I met were really little, too. What's cool about really little kids is that they don't say stuff to try to hurt your feelings, even though sometimes they do say stuff that hurts your feelings. But they don't actually know what they're saying. Big kids, though: they know what they're saying."
Highly recommended

Bonus: Hear what inspired the novel, as NPR interviews author R.J. Palacio

More reviews:
Jen Robinson's Book Page
Fuse #8
100 Scope Notes
More Than True
Abby the Librarian