Rapid Review: Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Sheets 

by Brenna Thummler

Finished reading: 7/11/2020

4/5 stars

Sheets is a super cute graphic novel that follows 13-year-old Marjorie Glatt whose family own a laundry business and the story of her encounter with Wendall, a ghost. I picked up Sheets after I saw it recommended on a book blogger’s list knowing pretty much nothing about it other than the words “ghosts” and “laundry”. But it was enough to capture my interest!

The colour scheme is a gorgeous tone that I can only describe as when printer ink is running out. Which I am aware makes it sound much less appealing than it actually is! It is in fact a perfect collection of muted cool tones that are so eye-catching altogether. It works interestingly with the story as it is set in autumn which classically is represented with golden coppery tones. But somehow these cool tones wonderfully capture the sadness of losing summer as well as working cleverly with the tone of the story.

I thought the ghost-world aspect of the novel was amazingly creative and entertaining! It felt playful and I loved how it incorporated the idea that real ghosts are literally like children dressed in sheets at Halloween. I would almost have preferred more of a focus on Wendall and his world and less focus on Marjorie. Marjorie’s aspects definitely brought the story more sombrely down to earth and explored the challenges of being a 13-year-old dealing with loss. This definitely helped create a balance between fantasy and reality. But as much as I enjoyed Marjorie’s story, I much preferred the imaginative concept of the ghost world and how the drawings depicted this.

Having said this, a sequel to Sheets called “Delicates” is soon to be released so I’m hoping that this will provide opportunity to return to and explore Wendall’s world further! In the meantime, you should absolutely give Sheets a read. I think the novel is so heart-warming and will appeal to all ages. A perfect easy-going remedy for reading slumps!