My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

In late-1960s Chicago, ten-year-old Karen Reyes records her world as a graphic diary and tries to learn what happened to her upstairs neighbor Anka. Her investigation opens onto family secrets and Anka’s history as a Holocaust survivor.

Ferris makes Karen’s drawing style central to the narrative, allowing fantasy imagery to express both fascination and fear. The layered mystery joins a child’s perspective to histories far beyond her years.

Murder mystery, coming-of-age story and historical trauma interweave. Monsters are images from popular culture and a language Karen uses to understand people.

Dense ballpoint-pen drawing on notebook-like pages creates a tactile archive of Karen’s thoughts. Images nest inside images, inviting slow reading.