One day, Cece loses her temper and yells at Ginny. Ginny is nicer than Laura but talks very slow and loud to Cece, which annoys her. Cece is relieved the following school year when she and Laura are assigned to different teachers. She lets Laura play tricks on her, all the while thinking hard about what el deafo might do to help. Cece does not know how to stick up for herself. Laura does not yell or make fun of Cece, but she is rather pushy. She begins to think of her hearing aid as a super power and imagines herself to be “el deafo,” a superhero.Ĭece finally makes a new friend, a girl named Laura.

The new hearing aide works so well, Cece can hear the teacher use the restroom and talk to other teachers in the lounge. It allows Cece to hear what the teacher is saying with very little feedback or trouble. She also gets a new hearing aide, one with a microphone for her teacher to use. Cece must try and make new friends even though most look at her strangely. People need to make sure they are looking at the deaf person when they speak and not block sight of their lips.Ĭece is sad when school is over for the summer, especially since her family then moves to a new town. Shouting when you speak does not help, nor do exaggerated gestures. As she gets used to her disability, she explains how the reader can help a deaf person to understand what they are saying.

Cece loves her new school, teacher and friends. There she learns how to read lips to make it easier to figure out what people are saying to her.

In the fall, Cece goes to a special school with other deaf children. She soon discovers that although the hearing aide helps her know when someone is speaking, she has a hard time interpreting what is said, often with funny results, as when she thinks her friend is offering shoes to drink, not juice. It is a hearing aide that will allow her to hear some sounds. A doctor confirms that the little girl has lost most of her hearing.Ī week later, Cece is given a transmitter with earbuds. Cece shouts while she searches the house only to discover her mother was behind her, but Cece could not hear her answer. Cece knows something is different but does not understand what until one day she calls for her mother. Hospitalized for several weeks, she eventually recovers from the illness and is allowed to return home. Cece is only 4 when she contracts meningitis.

Deafo