Marjorie feels invisible. Since her mom died, she’s been in charge of the family business while her dad is depressed and in seclusion upstairs. At home, she faces an array of customers including a few vicious ones and a man who is trying to sabotage her family’s business. At school, she’s lonely and often the target of a few mean girls. Feeling out of place in life, a ghost named Wendell makes his way into her home. After accidentally causing more harm than good, he quickly becomes close with Marjorie and makes her feel like she’s not alone.

This is such a sweet and heartwarming story about a girl trying to find her place in the world while Marjorie mourns her mother. There’s depression, loneliness, difficulty finding your place in school, being targeted by classmates, and working hard all while not seeing results. These are all realistic things that occur every day, and we watch her and her family go through them as the light finally starts to shine through at the end of the tunnel. Not only does Marjorie befriend ghosts, but the people around her start to show support in their own ways. It’s light enough that it still makes a great story for kids, but heavy enough that it’s meaningful for all age groups who read it.

I love the way the ghost world is presented. All ghosts are sheets and they have a whole world with rules, support meetings, and various activities and jobs that are different but similar to the living world. I also love the way that the world of the living and the dead come together to help and befriend one another. It is such a beautiful story combined with gorgeous artwork that I can see people from all age groups loving it.

This is such a cute little graphic novel! I wasn't completely sold on the plot for the first half of the book, but I definitely felt it picked up more towards the end. The thing I loved most was was the artwork. So much detail went into every panel and it really pays off. 10/10 for that alone but a solid 4 stars overall.

The book was about loss, loneliness, feeling invisible, trying to move on and (Yay!) ghosts. I thought it was well written, well drawn and it pulled me right from the start. I don’t often read graphic novels and would love to read more from this author.
Thank to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for letting me read the ARC.

Sheets tells the story of Marjorie Glatt, a teenager who is very lonely and sad. She runs her family's laundry business while dealing with the grief of losing her mother and caring for her depressed father and her little brother. Her business starts falling apart due to sabotage by Mr. Saubertuck,who wants to use the building for his own business. Most of her customers are angry, rude, and unforgiving but she refuses to give in. Then Wendell happens. Wendell is a ghost who cannot seem to get used to being a ghost and sneaks back to the human world. He uses the laundry as his own personable getaway and causes Marjorie all kinds of trouble. The two lonely souls forge an unlikely friendship and Wendell helps Marjorie to deal with Saubertuck. The story is both sad and hopeful as Marjorie and Wendell struggle and then find their place in their respective worlds. Marjorie's story tugs on the heart strings and keeps the pages turning. The art successfully expresses the story and the gamut of emotions found within for a good read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

I have never read a graphic novel but this one called to me - a haunted laundromat? My two favorite things. All ages should read this. And everyone will be able to relate to a part of the story. Why can't this be true 😊

I think Sheets is one of the most well-done graphic novels I have read. It has deeper meaning and humor which I really appreciated. Marjorie is a relatable and smart character. Also the portrayal of ghosts in the story is witty and enjoyable

Sheets is a bittersweet story of loneliness, and finding friendship.
The artwork is done in cotton candy pastels of blues and pinks and yet still manages to convey the right emotions to fit the scene. The faces are a bit strange but the rest of the illustration is beautiful. The story jumps back and forth from the point of view, but is consistent with the color so it doesn't really throw off the reader. While the ghosts are adorable, and Marjorie certainly brings out the worst of middle school memories for us, the story doesn't have enough staying power to make this a memorable read. The supporting characters could have used more fleshing out, but given the constraints of a graphic novel, is understandable. While the story is sometimes heart-wrenching, it does have a happy ending where the story resolution is tied up neatly in a bow.
It is probably suited for pre-teens. Although it touches on some darker themes (death, depression, drinking, bullying), I don't know that older teens would really enjoy the story line. Bottom line: read it for the artwork and give a little grace for the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review!

I liked the parallel story lines and the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. The "villain" of the book wasn't really doing it for me, but I think that this would be well received by middle graders.

Bittersweet story about laundry, little lonely girls and ghosts, many of them. To read and to suggest to everybody that may feel alone.

Storia agrodolce con un sacco di biancheria, ragazzine solitarie ma risolute e fantasmi. Da leggere e consigliare a chiunque si senta solo.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Have you ever seen a sad ghost? Because I have and it breaks my heart that someone forgot him. I read this graphic novel in one go, I was so captivated. Brenna uses beautiful colors and still the panels can show you the depressing boredom, the sad day to day life, making it palpable without words. A skill of show don't tell that many movie directors don't have. The main character seems to be multi-dimensional, although there isn't much description and is unpretentious, but still a fighter. There's a lot of subtext and room for wonderful interpretations as well as some puns. A simple, heart-warming and tear-inducing story that seems a wonderful fantasy.
After reading it here it goes on my to-buy list, because it's something I want to have at home for guests and for nieces as a bedtime story.

Sheets is a cute and charming story that dives into the relationship between Marjorie, a young girl running her family's laundry business, and Wendell, a ghost. The art is fun and fitting for a middle grade audience, and the contrasting colors between the Land of Ghosts and Land of Humans works well. While the interactions between Marjorie and Wendell were sweet and had depth, Marjorie simply didn't hold my attention as a main character and her story felt fairly monotone throughout. The elements that took place in the Land of Ghosts were more interesting, but not fleshed out much. The antagonist, Mr. Saubertuck, was fairly bland and seemed stereotypical of a middle grade story. However, I appreciated the way this book dealt with aspects like grief, depression, and death in a way that doesn't sugarcoat the experiences while still making them accessible for younger audiences.
Rating: 3/5

This is such a wonderfully illustrated book with a story that is sad but also hopeful, entertaining and so heartfelt. It is about grief and friendship and life's hardships and I promise you my heart was aching throughout the whole thing.
To me, the cover looked like it would be a fun and adorable story but it quickly stabbed me in the heart. It also mended it as it's such a beautiful story that might be really important for some kids (and also not-quite-kids-anymore) to read.
The art style is so pretty and I fell in love with the colour scheme. I loved this so much.

I think the concept behind this is really cute. The colors are amazing throughout the whole graphic novel. it's just the scenes with the human characters were boring. I didn't really like the art style either for those parts. I was more excited to read the bits about the ghosts.

This was a fantastic young adult graphic novel, featuring a girl dealing with the death of one parent and the lack of a second. Her father isn't dealing with his wife's death, so he's barely conscious, so it's up to Marjorie to keep their laundromat going, and to take care of her younger brother. Meanwhile, Wendell doesn't feel like he fits in in the afterlife. And where better for a sheet-covered ghost to go but a laundry? A great story showing two characters finding friendship and learning to deal with life (or afterlife)'s hardships.

Highly recommended for teen graphic novel sections.

This is a middle grade graphic novel about grief. It centers around a thirteen year old girl that lost her mother and her father is so overcome with grief that he has shut down. Marjorie is forced to carry the weight of the family business and household chores along with the day to day of being a teenager. The story has a fun supernatural element with Wendell the ghost. The story didn’t blow me away but the art certainly did. It is just beautiful.

This was so stinking adorable, I absolutely loved it! It's the story of a young girl who is coping with her mother's sudden death and trying to keep the family business running after the tragedy makes her dad totally shut down. It's also the story of a young boy trying to cope with the fact that at 11, he is dead and is now a ghost.
Over the course of a few nights, their life and afterlife intersect, and a true friendship develops.
With beautiful, quirky illustrations this one is a top pick for tweens and younger teens.

I decline the opportunity to publish a detailed review. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer to simply advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

Thank you for your kind attention to this note. Regards.

After her mother dies and her father sinks into depression, 13-year-old Marjorie Glatts is forced to take over the household chores including looking after her younger brother and running the family Laundromat, all while trying to keep up with school. Nigel Saubertuck, the baddie of the tale, is determined to take over the property and turn it into a five-star spa and yoga retreat and he won’t stop at anything including sabotage to do it.

And, if all this isn’t bad enough, the laundromat has attracted a ghost infestation in the form of Wendell, a sweet but rather clumsy middle school ghost. His unintentional mishaps will bring things to a head and unless she can find a solution quickly it looks like Marj will lose everything. Fortunately, she and Wendell come up with a plan to save the day – it just requires little help from Wendell’s fellow ghosts.

The graphic novel Sheets by Brenna Thummler is a little gem of a ghost story- an unusual blend of both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Much of the plot depends on the artwork and, fortunately, it works very well with the story. The muted color palette helps show Marj’s mindset, her overwhelming sadness and the sense that she is just floating through her days like a ghost. The ghosts themselves are depicted as sheets with eyeholes, sort of Halloweenish I suppose but sweet instead of scary.

Sheets is aimed at a middle grade audience but I found it enjoyable and insightful not only for children but for adults. I liked its overall message that no matter how bad things seem, it can get better; we all just need a little help from sympathetic and understanding friends. Sometimes I think this fact is lost on us adults especially where children are concerned – you hear it all the time, they are resilient, they can bounce back quickly from any tragedy. Maybe, but a little help and understanding can go a long way to provide a safe surface for them to bounce back on.

Ok, end of sermon. Sheets is a sweet compassionate story and I recommend it for both children and adults, perhaps especially for sensitive children who perhaps need a little Wendell in their lives.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

I am loving Brenna Thumler's work. Between "Anne of Green Gables," and "Sheets" I'll definitely be following her work closely.

The story was charming, sweet, and original. The artworks was really beatiful with some full page spreads that left me staring. Great book, highly recommend for middle grade readers and up!

I was provided a copy by the publisher via NetGalley. Sheets by Brenna Thummler talks about solitude, depression and grief. I enjoyed the graphics and the story but the beginning was a bit slow.