- Graphic Novels
- Ages 10–14
- Contemporary
Lights
A reflective finale to the Sheets trilogy, shifting the focus toward Wendell's past and the emotional mystery behind his ghostly life. It is still accessible, but more satisfying for readers who have followed the series from the beginning.
- Best for10–14
- FormatGraphic
- Length368 pp
- Read aloud~2 hr55 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Bittersweet
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
- Melancholic
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Marjorie, Eliza, and Wendell are back, but this time the emotional centre turns toward Wendell and the questions that have followed him since the beginning. Who was he before he became a ghost, and what does he need in order to move forward? Lights continues the series' mixture of realistic middle-school emotion and supernatural tenderness, using ghosts not for horror but for memory, grief, and unresolved feeling. Brenna Thummler's visual storytelling remains soft and expressive, with colour and light carrying much of the emotional work. As a final volume, it brings friendship, identity, and healing together in a way that rewards investment in the earlier books. It is a gentle but meaningful close to a distinctive graphic-novel series.
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
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: grief, death of character, mental health.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Series finale
- Gentle ghost story
- Middle grade graphic novel
- Grief story
- Beautiful art
Avoid if
- Has not read earlier books
- Sensitive to death
- Wants light comedy
- Wants action fantasy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Bereavement
- Anxiety and worry
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A tender graphic novel about grief, friendship and healing — a strong discussion read 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 Wendell's past — the ghost everyone has been getting to know finally asking who he was before, what he needs to move forward, what healing means in a story already full of grief. The Sheets finale that closes the trilogy honestly.
- Being understood finally
- Friendship and belonging
- Secret world
- Cosy safety
Why parents love it
The Sheets trilogy finale — Wendell's past taking centre stage, grief and forgiveness handled with care. Best read after the previous two; the emotional work depends on knowing the cast. Quiet, reflective close to a distinctive YA-leaning middle-grade series.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
About the author & illustrator
Brenna Thummler.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
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.
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