My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 (Emil Ferris)

a beautiful graphic novel about coming-of-age that doesn't soften the edges of feeling different in a complex world.

the protagonist, 10-year-old Karen Reyes who loves B-horror movies, feels both relatable and wonderfully specific. a welcome change to tellings of this adolescent life stage and period of history (1960s Chicago) that doesn't try to neatly tie everything up with a bow because that's not how life is.