Book Review | Sheets by Brenna Thummler

In this innocent and inspiring tale, a young girl gets her laundromat turned upside down by a lost ghost, causing an unlikely friendship to form.

About Sheets

Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. The 13-year-old has a lot on her shoulders—her family’s laundromat business, unforgiving customers, school, and Mr. Saubertruck who is determined to destroy everything she’s worked for.

Wendell is a ghost. The, then 11-year-old, lost his life too young and now he has to navigate this new world, the Land of Ghosts. There are rules and regulations he’s unfamiliar with and it’s all too tough on the little ghost.

When Marjorie and Wendell’s life collides, it all changes for better… and for worse. Marjorie’s laundromat runs havoc with her clothes messed up and stained, as Wendell has happily turned it into his midnight playground. Appearing as merely a white sheet during the day, Marjorie is in for a surprise when she finds out her work is being sabotaged by a young ghost. But unbeknownst to Marjorie, this relationship will have its unforeseen benefits as well.

Sheets Review

The first thing that caught my attention was the style of illustration. Obviously, the cover design enticed me to pick this book up. And the illustrations are so adorable. I wish I could adopt a ghost so that we can be best friends. They are seriously the cutest little things.

That being said, the colours of this graphic novel were my absolute favourite. I would live in this world of cotton candy skies and 2019 Tumblr outfits forever if I could. The different colour tones made it easy to differentiate which part of the story I was in—be it in the past or present, or if we were in the ghost world.

The different world-building was also interesting to read about. I love exploring the Land of Ghosts because they had unconventional laws that were intriguing, compared to the Land of Humans.

Sheets was written from two points of view—Marjorie’s, the main human protagonist, and Wendell’s, the main ghost protagonist. It was largely focussed on Marjorie though.

From having to deal with the loss of her mother, singlehandedly financially supporting her family and dealing with loneliness, Sheets sheds light on the hardships that Marjorie had to go through. Despite everything, I admired Marjorie for staying compassionate throughout. She’s a courageous girl who has endured so much.

The writing was easy-going and conversational, making me feel like I was a part of their story.

The layout of the panels was smooth and straightforward to follow. I revelled in the wide-shot illustrations that gave me a break from the mini comic strips. It was fun to admire the small details that went into the bigger drawings.

The text is clearly differentiated from the illustrations through conversation bubbles and pop-up text, making it easy on the eyes.

Sheets Recommendation

★★★★☆ (4/5)

Sheets was a great palate cleanser and I adored the simplicity of this story, while still being able to learn an important lesson or two. This book is perfect for young adults, or adults who are procrastinating doing the laundry.

About the Author

Brenna Thummler has always known her life is haunted. Much like Marjorie Glatt, she grew up in a small Pennsylvania town, where piano practice and ghost stories were part of her daily routine. It wasn't until she attended Ringling College of Art and Design, however, that she realised her passion for storytelling (as well as her hatred for laundry). Now back in her hometown, she spends her days drawing, writing, and suspicious of her sheets.