Gumshoe
A Graphic Novel
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · January 13, 2026
From the visionary creator of the Sheets trilogy comes a never-before-seen contemporary middle grade graphic novel about a spunky group of girls, set against the backdrop of the Arizona desert.
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- Who it’s for
- Mail, mistaken identity, and outlaw rumors make for a lively story about finding connection.
- Themes
- Human connection, Justice, Pursuing a dream
- Genres
- Mystery Comics, Friendship, Runaway Stories
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For older readers: This Place Kills Me, Fitting Indian, Cry Out Loud
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From the visionary creator of the Sheets trilogy comes a never-before-seen contemporary middle grade graphic novel about a spunky group of girls, set against the backdrop of the Arizona desert. Perfect for fans of Paper Girls and This Was Our Pact. In the hot, gossipy town of Stony Lonesome, shy eleven-year old Willa interacts with others the only way that feels right to her—the mail. She loves the mail so much that she hopes to become a mail carrier herself one day.
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But her dreams of delivering birthday cards, thank-you notes, and love letters come crashing down when she’s mistaken for the notorious Two Gum Tilly, a bandit rumored to be stealing mail for as long as folks can recall. Now an outlaw herself, Willa realizes the only way to clear her name is to bring the real crook to justice. But when a chance encounter introduces her to the Gumshoe Gang, a group of runaways looking to right the wrongs of the letter-looting thief, she finds that human connection might be her only path to freedom. Can Willa clear her name and revive her dreams of postal glory, or has she stamped her last letter . . . forever?
Mail and Mischief
Mail, mistaken identity, and outlaw rumors make for a lively story about finding connection.
Come here for
- A shy mail-lover tangled in a mail-theft mystery
- Desert-town gossip and a gang of runaways
Expect
- A contemporary middle grade graphic novel
- Playful coming-of-age adventure with heart
Where it sits
| Mystery Comics | 96% |
|---|---|
| Runaway Stories | 58% |
| Friendship | 42% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Action Comics
- Mystery Comics
- Big Feelings
- Runaway Stories
Show all 5 publisher categories
- Westerns
- Authors
- Brenna Thummler
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- January 13, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Human connection · Justice · Pursuing a dream
- Reading lane
- Action Comics