Gumshoe

Eleven-year-old Willa, the star of this standalone graphic novel western by Sheets trilogy creator Thummler, is on the run. While attempting to leave a letter in the mailbox of the local postal worker in which Willa asks for advice on how to become “the best mailwoman in all of Arizona,” the tween loses her mettle. The letter carrier, having caught her removing the note from his mailbox, wrongly assumes she’s the infamous mail bandit Two Gum Tilly. Upon fleeing, Willa encounters a group of runaways called the Gumshoe Gang who aim to prevent Tilly from stealing mail by following her rumored path and preemptively taking, storing, and redelivering the letters themselves once she leaves town. Though being “not so good at... talk” left Willa feeling out of place back home, she becomes fast friends with the Gumshoe Gang, with whom she gains a new perspective on life, all while running from her postman pursuer and his gum-sniffing cat. In between structured, character-focused panels of the tweens’ whirlwind quest, which takes place during an unspecified year, are sepia-toned flashback sequences that chronicle the legend and mystery of Two Gum Tilly. Rhythmic dialogue with a Southwestern twang complements the high-contrast desert color palette of this motley crew’s heartening adventure. Characters are depicted with varying body types and skin tones. Ages 8–12. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Jan.)