Actually 3.5/5.

Thanks NetGalley for the free e-book in exchange of an honest review.

I really thought this was a fiction graphic novel, but as soon as I read the first pages I noticed there was going to be some fantasy in here. A nice twist to my expectations.

Of both stories, I definitely liked the ghost's one more, leaving me curious about Ghost Towns and how they work in detail. That story was a bit philosophical even, and that is one thing about it that made me like it more. The teenage girl's story wasn't bad but not as exciting as the other one, and it got better when both stories met.

Brenna Thummler's Sheets attempts to examine many things at once; grief, loss, alienation, forgiveness, and friendship are all addressed in this story, but perhaps not always to the best results.

Marjorie, a young girl who feels out of place in her world, runs the family laundromat after the death of her mother. Her father has more or less abandoned life, lost in his grief. Marjorie tries very hard to hold her family together, but she's realistically too young to carry this responsibility. Wendell, a young ghost, is trying to navigate his afterlife and decide whether his place is there or back among the living. Finding solace among the sheets in the laundromat, Wendell attempts to befriend Marjorie and help her with her job, to more often than not disastrous results. In the end, Marjorie and Wendell find a way to work together to face their fears and save the laundromat.

The first portion of the book, dealing with Marjorie, is a little slow but I feel that it was intentional as it sets her feeling of loneliness and abandonment fairly early in the story. I found this portion of the book moving, how she was dealing with the loss of both of her parents, one by death, the other by grief. However, the abrupt switch to Wendell's introduction left me confused as I actual thought I had missed some pages somehow; one page we're reading about Marjorie, the next we're dropped right in the middle of Wendell's story without the same buildup that Marjorie receives. It's a little jarring. The rest of the book moves along fairly quickly, almost to its detriment in some ways. Marjorie coming to terms with who Wendell is (after the briefest of connections is made earlier in the book; I actually had to flip back to figure out how she made this link), Wendell first accidentally interfering in Marjorie's attempt to save the family business then his coming to the rescue, the final resolution to everyone's problems, it all seemed to happen almost too quickly after such a sparse and spaced beginning to the book. There are solid lessons to be learned here but they seem either heavy handed or too easily glossed over; there is some definite inconsistencies to the storytelling throughout.

Thummler's sparse illustrations and muted pastel palette lend themselves easily to both the tone and seaside setting of the story. There is not much detail per panel, yet her character's emotions are easily read. I feel this is truly where Thummler's strength is, in her art.

I think the problem with Sheets is it tries too hard to be more than that, ultimately being inconsistent in how it deals with the kid's emotions and how they deal with those emotions. At the end of the day, I enjoyed Sheets for what it is: a book about a lost girl and a ghost boy, and how they help each other find their way.

Thanks to Brenna Thummler, CubHouse and NetGalley for allowing and advanced read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First page grabbed me...every kid has things they don't like...and Marjorie's are entirely relatable.

Identifying with Marjorie, loving the illustrations and being attentive will have readers choosing sides and empathizing with her dilemmas.

When a novel, especially a graphic novel, makes us feel something; it has done it's job. You have done your job here. Thank you.

The artwork on this graphic novel is gorgeous. There's no huge plot twist, but the story is lovely and I felt really connected to the main character. The girl is sort of invisible in school and since her mother died she try to keep the family business on. Her father is kind of depressed and her little brother doesn't undertand what is happening. The other character is a ghost, Wendell, who go through pretty much the same as her, but on other world. The book has relatable characters,beautiful illustrations, it's adorable and heartbreaking.

I think this is a really great book about understanding loss and the friendships that can emerge from differences. I kind of wanted it to keep going, for the pet dog to make an appearance, and for there to be a bit more resolution for certain parts of the story. I also feel like it would have been a 5-star read if Thummler had fleshed out a few of the side stories a bit more: the boy who Tessi liked; Tessi and Marj's history the ghost myth; and Wendell's back story. The illustrations are nice and the only issue I had with them was with the fact that the sheets are a bit confusing here and there.

I loved the way things came full circle though in so many ways.

The first thing I that stood out to me about Sheets was the gorgeous color palette. Many previous teen and middle grade graphic novels I've read before use bold colors, but I think the pastel hues were a stunning choice for this particular story. The coloring made me pay attention to the details in every panel.

Sheets tells the story of Marjorie and Wendell. Marjorie is a lonely young girl who runs the struggling family laundromat since her father is still grieving from the death of her mother. Wendell is a young ghost who is struggling to fit in the ghost world. I loved the ghost world. I thought it was cute that they have an actual community with rules and have to wear the basic outfit of the white sheet with the holes for eyes. And it gets dirty! How has no one made a ghost story with laundry before?

The weakest part of the story was Mr. Saubertuck. I got that he was supposed to be an obstacle, but the resolution felt rushed and little too easy. However, I am glad that the mean girl was not an important part of the plot. I also feel there should have been more conversations between her and Colton to establish their relationship. He was not fleshed out at all, but I still could enjoy the ending for Marjorie's sake.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sheets and thought it was a cute story with lovely artwork and coloring. I look forward to reading more Brenna Thummler. I'd definitely read a series with Marjorie or an exploration of daily life in the ghost world.

"Sheets" follows thirteen year old Marjorie who's left with the responsibility to care for the family laundromat after the recent passing of her mother. Wendell is a child who's passed on and struggles to come to terms with what it means to be a ghost. As Wendell slips off into the night in search of answers, he comes across Marjorie, unknowingly turning her life upside down, when all he really wants, and what they both need, is a friend.

A tale so heartwarming that your heart might actually melt. You've been warned!

Read this during lunch break and wished I’ve read this sooner. I got a copy from Netgalley some time back and forgot it’s in my shelf.

For a sheet of cloth, one can totally see Wendell’s youthful expression and mannerism. I do hope that this will become a series.

The story has a bit of a weak start, but in the end, it feels like the perfect read for fall. Marjorie struggles to keep her family's laundry business above water, while dealing with social isolation at school, the death of her mother, a distant alcoholic father, and perhaps one of the most irritating characters I've seen in a long time--Nigel Saubertuck, a flamboyant local businessman who is looking to turn the laundromat into a spa (not entirely believable, but certainly a persistent antagonist!)

The artwork is beautiful and the book certainly gets nostalgia points for the '90s setting. The story is cute, original, but nothing flashy, has heart, and makes for an interesting read. I think that readers looking for a casual story with a happy ending will find something to enjoy here.

I love this book!! I cannot wait to share it with my students and my own GN fanatic at home. So much feeling and heart. It was a surprise read.

The first word that comes to mind is "nice". This is a <i>nice</i> ghost story with just <i>nice</i> characters. It did not blow me away. However, if you are just looking for a <i>nice</i> story about a girl - who to be honest has a lot on her plate - trying to save her family's business and befriends a ghost in the process.

The artwork and colors were beautiful and I loved the protagonist. The story was entertaining but the moral or message went over my head completely, the sheets were interesting although a little confusing to me.
Rating; 3 stars
FTC DISCLAIMER: I received this book in exchange for an honest review

I loved this comic. It is about a girl who has a lot of problems to deal with (trying to run her passed away mother's laundromat, having struggles with a maniacal man who is trying to shut the laundry down and buy the property and much more) and a ghost boy who is trying to return to land of living. The plot was great. The art style and the color palette was awesome.

A really enjoyable and educational book, I loved the characters -Wendell was by far my favorite- and the sense of adventure. Perfectly balanced writing with gorgeous illustrations.
The story itself takes you in by surprise, even though the pace was a little slow at first, the ending really moved me!
Overall, a fun and really interesting book, about two completely different -but at the same time so similar- characters who found their way to each other.

What a lovely graphic novel. I spent a rainy Saturday curled up with blankets and this book, and I couldn't have planned for a better day.

A captivating graphic novel! The illustrations are beautifully drawn. I don’t read many graphic novels, but this one was fabulous, and jumped to the top of my list of favorites. Thanks to NetGalley and Lion Forge for the chance to read this.

Marjorie doesn’t have much positive in her life-her mother has died, dad is depressed and drinking to cope with the loss, the family laundry business is limping along only because Marjorie is working herself to death trying to keep it going. But things get worse as a wanna be spa mogul tries to force the family to sell their ideally located shop and a ghost is making himself at home there. Junior high aged students who still love graphic novels will appreciate the storyline that is far more suited to them than the Big Nate and BabyMouse from elementary school. The artwork is edgier, but isn’t manga styled nor overly dark. Secondary libraries looking to feed the demand for graphic novels may find this one to be popular. Because this book was not geared to my 4th and 5th grade libraries, I read only 60% before moving on, but to that point, “Sheets”was free of profanity and sexual content of any kind and there were hints that our heroine would find some good in life soon. Thanks for the dARC, NetGalley.

An adorable graphic novel that follows Marjorie and Wendell, one a young girl learning to deal with the grief of losing her mother and her father caught up in his own grief. She is running the family business on her own and trying to keep everything afloat. Wendell on the other hand is a ghost coming to terms with his own death and failing to fit into his new life. When Wendell decides to go back to the human world, he accidently causes problems for Marjorie who is trying to keep the laundry mat out of the hands of a man who is trying to force it closed so he can turn it into a yoga resort.
This is an adorable 90’s feeling comic that deals with grief and fighting for the memory of those who have passed on. The story and art are adorable and sad. It’s easy to get caught up in reading the story. I nearly finished it in one night because you easily become invested. Marjorie is trying to keep everything afloat the best a thirteen year old can. She has far too much on her shoulders while still dealing with her own grief and trauma of being there when her mother died. Wendell is only 11 and simply doesn’t feel he fits in while he’s struggling to open up about his death, which is also full of trauma. Everything in this story is tied together in a really great way.
I highly recommend it, even if it might be hard to read with all these emotions, but it’s important for kids and adults trying to process their grief. This helps them come to terms in a way that everyone can understand.

Sheets was really sweet. It took me a bit to warm up to the characters but that tends to be a thing with me a leading children. Over all the pastel art style won me over and so did the cute ghosts. It is really more like a 3.5 stars.

3.5
In this story, we follow Marjorie, a young girl running her family’s laundromat business in the wake of her mother’s death and her father’s depression. We also follow Wendell, an 11 year old ghost just trying to fit in with the other youth ghosts in Ghostland. At first it was a little hard to get into because the perspectives would shift quickly between Marjorie and Wendell without any real tie to do so, but once their stories mashed up, it was a lot better. My favorite part of this is the fact that ghosts are represented by sheets. It was such a cute idea and very clearly marketed for young readers. I think the pacing could have been done better but otherwise it was a cute, quick read.