El Deafo

Cece spends some time with Ginny just before school starts and discovers that she, Ginny, and Mike are all in the same class. Cece becomes anxious about Mike seeing the Phonic Ear but is still excited about the new school year. Cece enjoys her class and loves her new teacher, until she realizes that everything is becoming blurry. In the illustrations, the drawings depict blurry words, and the blurry outlines of faces. During a spelling test, Cece gets caught asking Ginny what words are on the board because Cece can’t read them. Mrs. Sinkelmann gives Cece a zero on the quiz and accuses her of cheating—Cece is so overwhelmed, she starts crying in front of everyone: “It’s a long, long day after that” (159); a series of panels depict Cece staring at the clock as time crawls by. At home, Cece explains the situation to her mother, who tells her that she might need glasses. Her mother is understanding and gives her a Hostess cherry pie as a treat. 

Cece gets glasses and is thrilled to see the world anew. Panels depict the difference between her clear and blurry vision. Her glasses also make it easier for her to lip-read, especially from a distance.