El Deafo by Cece Bell

El Deafo by Cece Bell

El Deafo

by Cece Bell

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held Thursday, April 20, 2017, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

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.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Cathy rated it ★★★★★

Bekka rated it ★★★★★ and said “Very well done! I appreciated the humor as well as the emotional times. The art is charming – very cartoony and cute. I love how they all have bunny ears! This is a great story for both kids and adults. Highly Recommended.”

Vivian rated it ★★★ and said “What I would like to find out is, are children picking this up to read without being led to it by adults, and if so, what about it keeps them reading it? Aside from it’s obvious exposure to what it feels like to be different and that being different can be triggered by circumstances beyond one’s control, which is the “swallow this pill” purpose of the book, why has this book caught on? Here’s my quick answer. It’s really about friendships — different kinds of friendships and social situations — and every body has experience with this. Have you had the “you’re my project” kind of friend (or big me, little you)? Just saying, she nails the “friends” things on so many levels. And then there’s the whole “dealing with reality by creating an alternate reality” thing going, which she also nails. There are lots of springboard opportunities in her story to talk about assumptions we make and communication and taking social cues, which is why I think it’s good that the book is going the rounds in adult circles. It gives us a way to start some important conversations.”

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Black Widow: Forever Red

by Margaret Stohl

Enter the world of the Avengers’ iconic master spy…

Natasha Romanoff is one of the world’s most lethal assassins. Trained from a young age in the arts of death and deception, Natasha was given the title of Black Widow by Ivan Somodorov, her brutal teacher at the Red Room, Moscow’s infamous academy for operatives.

Ava Orlova is just trying to fit in as an average Brooklyn teenager, but her life has been anything but average.The daughter of a missing Russian quantum physicist, Ava was once subjected to a series of ruthless military experiments—until she was rescued by Black Widow and placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection. Ava has always longed to reconnect with her mysterious savior, but Black Widow isn’t really the big sister type.

Until now.

When children all over Eastern Europe begin to go missing, and rumors of smuggled Red Room tech light up the dark net, Natasha suspects her old teacher has returned—and that Ava Orlova might be the only one who can stop him. To defeat the madman who threatens their future, Natasha and Ava must unravel their pasts. Only then will they discover the truth about the dark-eyed boy with an hourglass tattoo who haunts Ava’s dreams…

Black Widow: Forever Red features all the heart-pounding adventure readers expect from Marvel, written by #1 New York Times best-selling author Margaret Stohl. Uncover a new side of the Marvel Universe that will thrill loyal fans and newcomers alike, as Stohl reveals the untold story of Black Widow for the very first time.

book 1 in the Black Widow series

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

I Am Princess X

by Cherie Priest

Best friends, big fans, a mysterious webcomic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of both Cory Doctorow and Sarah Dessen; illustrated throughout with comics.

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.

Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.

Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.

Princess X?

When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There’s an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby’s story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon—her best friend, Libby, who lives.

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