My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

Summary

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is an ambitious, genre-bending graphic novel presented as the illustrated diary of Karen Reyes, a 10-year-old girl growing up in 1960s Chicago. Drawn in ballpoint-pen style, the book combines coming-of-age narrative, murder mystery, historical fiction, and gothic horror. Karen imagines herself as a werewolf girl investigating the suspicious death of her Holocaust survivor neighbor, Anka Silverberg. The investigation leads her into the dark undercurrents of her neighborhood, her family’s struggles, and Anka’s traumatic past in Nazi Germany. Karen’s artistic imagination blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, filling her diary with portraits of monsters, pulp magazine covers, and surreal visions. The book is celebrated for its stunning artwork, layered storytelling, and exploration of identity, sexuality, and trauma. Both a personal story and a sweeping cultural critique, it stands as one of the most inventive graphic novels of the 21st century.