It was a dark and stormy night... no, wait, this may be a story about things that go bump in the night, but it wasn't really dark and stormy, Brenna Thummler's graphic novel, Sheets, is about true grit and friendship...Marjorie is a 14 yr. old teenager, left with the responsibility of running the family laundry business and caring for her little brother after her mother dies and her father essentially is depressed and keeps to himself. Pretty tough life for a young girl who is dealing with all the pressures of growing up. But Marjorie trudges on, whether dealing with mean girls at school, or obnoxious customers at the laundry, which includes Mr. Saubertuck, who is trying to steal the building out from under Marjorie's family by doing all he can to make them lose customers, until one day she meets Wendell... Wendell is a ghost, but not just any ghost, but the ghost of a little boy trying to deal with fitting in, in a world he doesn't really understand yet (he just became a ghost). Wendell happens to travel back to the land of the living and accidentally reaks havoc in the laundry at night. And so the story begins...
One of the things I look for in a graphic novel is the artwork, and Brenna Thummler's artwork is good. The coloring of her characters and scenery is a beautiful faded array of colors that depict the gray days Marjorie is going through. The next thing I look for is a good story, which Sheets is. Ultimately it's a story of friendship and perseverence in the face of adversity. Although this story did not hook me, the target audience, 9 - 12 year olds, should enjoy it. For myself, I found the story depressing and Marjorie such a sad character. Even the ending didn't give me a lot of pleasure, but as I said I am not the target audience, and this is just one of those graphic novels that IMHO is not for "the adults" too.
I give Sheets, 3 cups of laundry detergent for a good story and good artwork...
