El Deafo

Cece daydreams about her date with Mike. He gives her a rose, and she replies in French: “Pour moi?”, and he says, “It’s beauty sha’ll ne’er surpass the one you wear upon your breast” (203). Later, Mike asks Cece to take part in an experiment. He walks downtown, and they test the distance of the Phonic Ear. It isn’t what Cece imagined in terms of a date, but the children in the neighborhood think it’s cool. For the first time, the Phonic Ear is cool. Martha is also fascinated but doesn’t stay for the experiment, despite Cece’s pleas. Instead Martha meets up with Mike and talks about her anxiety around Cece’s eye injury. Martha admits she misses Cece. When Mike returns, he asks Cece to use the Phonic Ear at school. Cece is worried about getting into trouble but also wants to please Mike. She agrees. As the day ends, Cece is hopeful about a budding friendship with Mike and a reconciliation with Martha. 

The next morning on the bus, Mike asks Cece to use the Phonic Ear to help them play during quiet math without Mrs. Sinklemann punishing them. She agrees but is apprehensive. She feels distracted until quiet math comes, and Mike calls upon her to use her superpowers. Cece is initially anxious, but the other children are amazed and envious of her abilities. Cece imagines El Deafo as a security guard: “For the first time ever, El Deafo uses her superpowers for the good of others. By listening carefully, she cleverly deducts Mrs. Sinklemann’s location at all times” (216). Cece fulfills her duties despite her anxiety, and Mrs. Sinklemann returns to a quiet classroom. Ginny tells Cece that Mike thinks she is a hero. Cece feels confident and proud.

Cece plans to use the Phonic Ear again, but the guidance counselor comes in to speak with the class about warm fuzzies, a representation of the feeling that you get when someone is kind. She asks the class to make their own warm fuzzies and bags to hold them, so they feel supported all day long. Cece makes a bag to represent her Phonic Ear, with a secret image of El Deafo on the back. She gives and receives dozens of warm fuzzies all day, and it gives her strength, even during P.E. class. Finally, she gives a warm fuzzy to Martha on the bus. She and Martha reconcile, and Martha cries when Cece explains that she was never angry at Martha. The book ends as Cece reveals herself as El Deafo to Martha. The final image shows Cece as El Deafo, linking arms with Martha, dressed as her sidekick, the True Friend.