Emil Ferris Books in Order

Ten-year-old Karen Reyes pictures herself as a monster in her illustrated diary. In 1960s Chicago, the death of her upstairs neighbor, a Holocaust survivor, draws Karen into an investigation connecting family secrets with a troubled past.

This Free Comic Book Day collection includes a new Monsters story, autobiographical pages about Emil Ferris's struggle to create her graphic novel, and a drawing lesson inviting readers to invent and illustrate monsters of their own.

Karen Reyes continues investigating her neighbor Anka's death in Chicago during the unrest of 1968. Listening to recorded memories and examining her own family, she confronts mysteries of identity, desire, and the people she loves.

An illustrated diary follows ten-year-old Karen Reyes, who sees herself through the imagery of horror movies and monster magazines. Her investigation into a neighbor's death uncovers connections between 1960s Chicago and the woman's life in Germany.