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isaacblevins's Reviews (460)
In El Deafo, CeCe Bell has created a fantastically engaging and hilariously relatable memoir. A graphic novel, El Deafo follows young CeCe from the loss of her hearing at age four through elementary school. What could easily have been a maudlin morality tale about life with a disability is instead a wonderfully engaging story of making yourself heard...even when you have trouble hearing others. CeCe's fantasy life as El Deafo, a hearing-impaired superhero, reminds us of just how perilous childhood can be. As adults we often look back on those "more innocent" years with rose colored glasses, so it's important to be reminded of just how hard being a kid really is.
El Deafo provides that reminder for me and also pointed out things about living with hearing loss that I had never considered. As an educator I've had several hearing impaired students; additionally, both my brother and my father have hearing impairments. Before reading this novel I would have told you I know a good deal about life with hearing loss. El Deafo taught me otherwise...and I'm grateful for the lesson.
El Deafo provides that reminder for me and also pointed out things about living with hearing loss that I had never considered. As an educator I've had several hearing impaired students; additionally, both my brother and my father have hearing impairments. Before reading this novel I would have told you I know a good deal about life with hearing loss. El Deafo taught me otherwise...and I'm grateful for the lesson.
There are beautiful ideas in Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace. Nan Marino is able to describe the power of music and the effect of personal charisma in a way that will immediately connect with readers who have fallen under their spell. Elvis Ruby is a tween idol in hiding after a negative experience on a television talent show. He seeks refuge with a family friend in rural New Jersey who owns the titular Pancake Palace. It is there that he meets Cecilia Wreel, a girl who promises to keep his secret but who needs his help to find a mysterious tune her parents tell her they heard on the night of her birth.
These characters and the others who populate the town of Wares Grove are what make this novel compelling. Young readers will immediately recognize connections between Elvis and real-life celebrities and television music competitions. The central plot concerning Elvis' attempt to remain hidden is engaging though I couldn't help but wish that the author had spent more time on conflicts that were only hinted at between Elvis and his father. Unfortunately, the story of Cecilia and her quest for the music of the pines does not hold together as well. Marino tries to unite the two plot lines with brief interludes about the legendary Jersey Devil which may have added a little more insight and heart if they had been more consistent and more richly developed. That same lack of development hurt my emotional attachment to many of the supporting characters. They were interesting and their depths were hinted at, but not enough to make me care deeply about them.
Young readers who love music and wish for celebrity will find much to enjoy in Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace. Those readers who feel like they just don't fit in with the usual crowd will certainly identify with Cecilia. The novel has the possibility to spark interesting conversations about fame and identity. All these are strong reasons to recommend the title - and the young people who are it's target audience may just find them compelling enough to overlook the story's flaws.
These characters and the others who populate the town of Wares Grove are what make this novel compelling. Young readers will immediately recognize connections between Elvis and real-life celebrities and television music competitions. The central plot concerning Elvis' attempt to remain hidden is engaging though I couldn't help but wish that the author had spent more time on conflicts that were only hinted at between Elvis and his father. Unfortunately, the story of Cecilia and her quest for the music of the pines does not hold together as well. Marino tries to unite the two plot lines with brief interludes about the legendary Jersey Devil which may have added a little more insight and heart if they had been more consistent and more richly developed. That same lack of development hurt my emotional attachment to many of the supporting characters. They were interesting and their depths were hinted at, but not enough to make me care deeply about them.
Young readers who love music and wish for celebrity will find much to enjoy in Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace. Those readers who feel like they just don't fit in with the usual crowd will certainly identify with Cecilia. The novel has the possibility to spark interesting conversations about fame and identity. All these are strong reasons to recommend the title - and the young people who are it's target audience may just find them compelling enough to overlook the story's flaws.