- Contemporary
- Graphic Novels
- Ages 9–14
The shape of it
The shape of this universe.
Brenna Thummler's award-winning graphic novel trilogy about Marjorie Glatt, a grieving girl trying to keep her family's laundrette afloat, and Wendell, a young ghost who does not quite fit in among the dead. Across three volumes the series uses a soft supernatural premise to explore grief, loneliness, bullying and the quiet work of being seen. Thummler's muted palettes, expressive linework and unhurried pacing turn ghosts into vehicles for memory and unfinished feeling rather than horror. Emotionally it deepens as it goes, moving from tender family grief into more searching territory around invisibility and mental health, before resolving into gentle healing. It is a distinctive, beautifully drawn body of work for older children and early teens who want graphic novels with real emotional weight.
A beautifully drawn, emotionally serious graphic novel trilogy about grief, loneliness and being seen, in which ghosts stand for memory and unfinished feeling rather than horror.
Primary themes
Tone palette
- Bittersweet
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
- Melancholic
The series
One way in.
Cultural footprint
A shelf of evidence.
Cultural ubiquity
3/ 5Well-known to people who know the room.
Sensitivity
High, and collection-wide.
Content notes
- Death of parent
- Grief
- Mental health
- Self harm
- Bullying
Across the collection
All 3 books.
About the creator