Fast Forward Friday: Delicates, 3/16/21

Hey y’all! In contrast to Throwback Thursday, I like to use Fridays to look forward to an upcoming release that I’m excited about! Today’s is Delicates by Breanna Thummler!
Expected Release: March 16, 2021

Why wait on this one?

• Do you see the little tagline that says “From the creator of SHEETS?” Because that’s 99% of why I’m reading this. Sheets was a perfectly sweet little surprise. Like cutting into a cake and finding a warm fudge center.
• I’ve come to love middle-grade characters, just as I came to love teaching middle grades. Lit for middle grade is so often wholesome at its core, and I love the reminders of what goodness you can aspire too. Particularly when you’re young and don’t know any differently (hopefully). Plus the humour is at the same level I am still 😅
• The artwork is gorgeous! Look at those poppin’ colors! They complemented the first story so well, and I look forward to more. It somehow dances away from being garish and instead brings light and fun to even potentially dark moments.

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 friend, Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Eliza endures?

Delicates tells a powerful story about what it means to fit in, and those left on the outside. It shows what it’s like to feel invisible, and the importance of feeling seen. Above all, it is a story of asking for help when all seems dark, and bringing help and light to those who need it most.