- Graphic Novels
- Ages 10–14
- Contemporary
Delicates
A more emotionally intense sequel to Sheets, focused on bullying, invisibility, friendship, and a girl who wishes she could disappear. It is thoughtful and beautifully drawn, but the mental-health themes make it a high-sensitivity middle-grade/early-teen read.
- Best for10–14
- FormatGraphic
- Length320 pp
- Read aloud~2 hr30 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Bittersweet
- Thought provoking
- Heartwarming
- Melancholic
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Marjorie is trying to move forward after the events of Sheets, but middle school is still complicated. She wants to belong, and that means navigating popularity, social pressure, and the fear of being left behind. Eliza, meanwhile, feels invisible in a far more painful way. Isolated, bullied, and obsessed with photographing ghosts, she begins to see disappearance as a kind of escape. Wendell and the ghostly world return, but Delicates is less a cosy ghost story than a sensitive exploration of loneliness and how easily children can fail to see someone who is struggling. Brenna Thummler uses soft, expressive colour and quiet pacing to create a graphic novel about empathy, social cruelty, and the importance of noticing people before it is too late.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 10–14
- Read aloud · 10–14
- Independent · 10–14
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Patchy
Works well for
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: bullying, mental health, self harm, grief.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Empathy story
- Bullying discussion
- Middle grade graphic novel
- Mental health story
- Beautiful art
Avoid if
- Sensitive to bullying
- Sensitive to self harm themes
- Wants light comedy
- Has not read book one
Particularly good for children who are…
- Being bullied
- Anxiety and worry
- Low self esteem
- Making friends
- Bereavement
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A tender graphic novel about bullying, belonging and looking out for one another — a strong discussion text for older readers.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is invisibility — Eliza so bullied and isolated that she starts wanting to disappear, photographing ghosts as a kind of identification with vanishing. The Sheets sequel that takes the metaphor in a darker, more emotionally urgent direction.
- Being understood finally
- Friendship and belonging
- Secret world
Why parents love it
The Sheets sequel that's much harder — bullying, social cruelty, a girl who genuinely wishes she could disappear. The mental-health themes make it high-sensitivity. Best for an older middle-grade or early teen reader who can hold the weight, with an adult close enough for a conversation afterwards.
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Great writing
About the author & illustrator
Brenna Thummler.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →