Delicates

Format:

Book (regular print)

Title:

Delicates

Author:

Thummler, Brenna author artist

ISBN:

9781620107881

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

Portland, OR : Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, 2021.

Physical Description:

316 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 22 cm

General Note:

The sequel to Sheets.

Summary:

"Marjorie Glatt's life hasn't been the same ever since she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family's laundromat. Wendell, who died young and now must wander Earth as a ghost with nothing more than a sheet for a body, soon became one of Marjorie's only friends. But when Marjorie finally gets accepted by the popular kids at school, she begins to worry that if anyone learns about her secret ghost friends, she'll be labeled as "a freak who sees dead people." With Marjorie's insistence on keeping Wendell's ghost identity a secret from her new friends, Wendell begins to feel even more invisible than he already is. Eliza Duncan feels invisible too. She's an avid photographer, and her zealous interest in finding and photographing ghosts gets her labeled as "different" by all the other kids in school. Constantly feeling on the outside, Eliza begins to feel like a ghost herself. Marjorie must soon come to terms with the price she pays to be accepted by the popular kids. Is it worth losing her best friend, Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Eliza endures?"--Book flap.

Subject(s):

Middle school students -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Teenage girls -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Bullying -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Laundries -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Self-service laundries -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Ghosts -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Friendship in adolescence -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Middle school students -- Juvenile fiction.

Teenage girls -- Juvenile fiction.

Bullying -- Juvenile fiction.

Laundries -- Juvenile fiction.

Self-service laundries -- Juvenile fiction.

Ghost stories.

Friendship in adolescence -- Juvenile fiction.

Graphic novels -- United States.

Ghosts -- Fiction.

Self-service laundries -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Graphic novels.

Geographic Term:

United States

Genre:

Fantasy comic books, strips, etc.

Comics (Graphic works)

Added Author:

Sequel to (work): Thummler, Brenna. Sheets.

Added Corporate Author:

Oni Press,

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN GRAPHIC Thummler, B. 2	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dayton Public Library	YA THUMMLER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	YA GN Thummler, B. 2022 v.2	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	TEEN GRAPHIC THUMMLER	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Marjorie Glatt's life hasn't been the same ever since shediscovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family's laundromat. Wendell,who died young and now must wander Earth as a ghost with nothing more than asheet for a body, soon became one of Marjorie's only friends. But whenMarjorie finally gets accepted by the popular kids at school, she begins toworry that if anyone learns about her secret ghost friends, she'll belabeled as a freak who sees dead people. With Marjorie's insistence onkeeping Wendell's ghost identity a secret from her new friends, Wendellbegins to feel even more invisible than he already is.

Eliza Duncanfeels invisible too. She's an avid photographer, and her zealous interestin finding and photographing ghosts gets her labeled as "different"by all the other kids in school. Constantly feeling on the outside, Eliza beginsto feel like a ghost herself.

Marjorie must soon come to terms withthe price she pays to be accepted by the popular kids. Is it worth losing herfriend, Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Elizaendures?

Delicates tells a powerful story about what it means to fitin, and those left on the outside. It shows what it's like to feelinvisible, and the importance of feeling seen. Above all, it is a story ofasking for help when all seems dark, and bringing help and light to those whoneed it most.

Author Notes

Brenna Thummler has always known her life is haunted. Much like Marjorie Glatt, she grew up in a small Pennsylvania town, where piano practice and ghost stories were part of her daily routine. It wasn't until she attended Ringling College of Art and Design, however, that she realized her passion for storytelling (as well as her hatred of laundry). Now back in her hometown, she spends her days drawing, writing, and suspicious of her sheets.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up--In Sheets, Thummler explored teenage social dilemmas, grief, and even class conflict within the bounds of a haunted Laundromat. Her follow-up matches the tone and complexity of its predecessor. Marjorie, a white teen who in Sheets grappled with bullying and being forced to step up after the death of her mother, is gaining confidence at school while remaining friends with Wendell, one of the sheet-shaped ghosts at her family's laundry business. In the span of a few tentative encounters, however, the book pivots to the story of her classmate Eliza, a Black teen who is sinking into loneliness and depression and feeling like a living ghost. Marjorie must weigh whether to help a peer and risk her own social status, while Eliza faces the task of claiming her own strangeness so as to not lose her sense of self. Thummler's shaky, slightly elongated figures interact in muted neon illustrations, conveying adolescent emotion. With illustrations that match the often dreamy, multilayered narrative, this tale depicts the interplay between inner turmoil and external pressures with an aching accuracy that provides a powerful lens readers might use to observe their own difficult experiences. VERDICT A strong second foray into Marjorie and Wendell's slightly spooky world, this tale will be best appreciated by readers who can maturely manage difficult content about depression and suicidal thoughts.--Emilia Packard, Austin

Kirkus Review

A bullied eighth grader wishes she were a ghost--and then meets real ghosts. In this sequel to Sheets (2018), Marjorie begins eighth grade as part of the popular crowd but is unclear whether she and her crush, Colton, are more than friends. Her family is doing their best to cope with the death of her mom, and Marjorie is helping out more at the family laundromat. The laundromat has a community of ghosts that Marjorie can see, but she keeps them a secret because she doesn't want to be labeled as weird. When their teacher asks Marjorie and her friends to look after his oldest daughter, Eliza, who is repeating eighth grade, Eliza--a photographer buff with an interest in the paranormal--instead becomes the target of their bullying. Marjorie is a well-developed character, and readers will empathize with her dilemma over whether to speak up for Eliza and risk her own ostracization. The author tackles in an accessible, nuanced way delicate topics like bullying, death, suicide, and feeling lost. Although this volume can be read as a stand-alone, reading the first book will improve comprehension of the story and understanding of the characters--especially where the ghosts are concerned. Marjorie and her friends are White; Colton is brown, Eliza and her family are Black. An original exploration of what it means to be seen and accepted. (Graphic fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

In this sequel to Sheets (2018), summer is coming to a close for Marjorie and Wendell, her ghost friend, but going into eighth grade has Marjorie a little uneasy. She spent all of seventh grade a social outcast, and this year, Tessi and her friends have made it their mission to make Marjorie popular. The eighth grade class also has a repeater student--Eliza, the daughter of a teacher, Mr. Duncan. Eliza is obsessed with photographing a ghost, even as she increasingly feels like one among her peers. Meanwhile, Wendell is feeling rather ignored, and when sneaking out, he often runs into Eliza, who doesn't recognize him as a ghost. Thummler's illustrations showcase a pastel palette that nicely evokes the late summer atmosphere. Beautifully drawn environments, full of fine-lined detail and dappled light, make great backdrops to the stylized character designs. This title encapsulates the rockiness of navigating friendships and troubled emotional states of middle school, with a dash of friendly paranormal elements to lighten the mood. Hand to fans of Laura Lee Gulledge's The Dark Matter of Mona Starr (2020).