Middle Grade and YA Books with Deaf Protagonists and Characters
In middle grade and YA fiction, Deaf representation is limited. Adding books with Deaf representation to your classroom library or curriculum is crucial for both Deaf and hearing students. These books can help build positive self-identity and confidence for Deaf children, expand perspectives by showing diverse examples of Deaf role models, create understanding about and pride in Deaf culture, foster empathy and understanding among hearing students, and more.
We're excited to share a few books with Deaf main or secondary characters that have realistic portrayals of Deaf experiences. In our notes, we've also tried to share which authors are Deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing.
Books with Deaf characters written by Deaf or hard of hearing (HOH) authors:
El Deafo by Cece Bell - The author of this book is Deaf, having contracted meningitis as a young child. Her life experiences shaped her graphic novel memoir in which the protagonist Cece starts attending a new school. Cece uses hearing aids (the Phonic Ear) and ends up hearing all types of interesting things, such as conversations in the teacher's lounge. Although she finds the humor in her hearing aid superpowers, she feels lonely and longs for friendship. Beyond having a funny and relatable storyline, this book's illustrations are delightful! All of the characters are depicted as rabbits, and Cece's experiences of being Deaf are visualized through details like faded lettering.
True Biz by Sara Novic - The author of this book is Deaf. This novel focuses on three main individuals: Charlie, Austin, and the headmistress of River Valley School for the Deaf. This book explores themes of isolation, Deaf culture, first love, identity, language inclusion and exclusion, diversity, obstacles created by ableist systems, and the fight for educational equity.
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte - The author of this historical fiction book is Deaf. Her book is inspired by real events in the early 19th century that took place in a thriving Deaf community on Martha's Vineyard. Mary, the protagonist, encounters a scientist who performs experiments on Deaf members of the community. This book tackles heavy topics like eugenics, racism, ableism, trauma, colonization, etc. It may be wise to give trigger warnings to students before they read the book.
Books with Deaf characters written by hearing authors:
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly - The author of this book is an ASL interpreter. Her book is about a 12-year-old girl named Iris who loves fixing broken technology. When Iris learns about a whale who cannot communicate with other whales, she wonders how she might communicate with the whale.
You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino - This book is written by a hearing author who is a grandchild of Deaf grandparents. Its main character, Jilly, has a baby sister who was born Deaf. With the intention of being a supportive older sister, she reaches out to a Derek, a Deaf, Black ASL user, for advice. This book presents opportunities to explore intersectionality with your students, highlighting how multiple layers of a person's identity (race, gender, class, sexual orientation, etc.) can shape their life experiences.
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly - The author of this book is hearing, but she has conducted extensive research to better understand the Deaf community. During her research process, she took an ASL class and reached out to American Society for Deaf Children.
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