Sheets by Brenna Thummler

 

Sheets is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that tells the story of a teenage girl who has taken on adult responsibilities after the death of her mother. Marjorie runs her family's laundry business, while also managing mean girls at school, angry customers, and her deeply depressed father. Her biggest problem, however, is a nasty man who wants to buy her business and turn it into a spa. And when Wendell, a young ghost, enters her laundromat, he inadvertently makes things worse. On first reading the book, I had some confusion about the role of minor characters and about Wendell's life (or rather, afterlife). I re-read the book and caught a lot more of the story on the second time around. My middle school book club had a similar reaction—kids were puzzled and unsatisfied about certain aspects, but it gave us fodder for a deep discussion about the book and left most of us wanting to read the sequel, Delicates, which is coming in March 2021.