Lights

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

After a falling out with her friend group, Marjorie Glatt has more or less settled in to eighth grade. Her free time - now that her dad is beginning to emerge from his depression, she actually has some - is divided between her two best friends: Eliza, a talented photographer and resident "weird girl" at school; and Wendell, the ghost of an eleven-year-old boy who lives in her family's laundromat.

As his time in the Land of Humans lengthens, Wendell is beginning to wonder about his life - and death. His memories of both are foggy - is this because Wendell the boy has been forgotten in the Land of Humans? With the help of Marj and Liza, Wendell ventures outside of show more Glatt's Laundry in search of clues about his past. But the more the trio uncovers, the more Wendell's death begins to look not like an accident, but murder.

Meanwhile, Marjorie finds herself longing for more "normal" friends. Not because Wendell and Liza aren't great - they are! - but because they alone can't light up the many corners of her heart. Sometimes a kid just wants to sing karaoke at the top of her lungs while getting a pedicure, you know? But how can she justify letting Sid and Sasha back into her life when they hurt Liza so terribly?

LIGHTS is a satisfying conclusion to the SHEETS trilogy. It's got the same ooey, gooey center as DELICATES, exploring the horror and angst of the tween/teenage years with care and compassion. As with DELICATES, the title of LIGHTS hints at the Very Important Lesson the story imparts (don't worry, I won't spoil it, but it is executed masterfully); the final few pages are real tearjerkers. The murder mystery was an inspired touch; it allows us to meet Wendell as he was in life, before he became the adorable ghost we got to know and love in SHEETS.

And I have an especially soft spot for Liza - her deadpan humor, generally underwhelmed demeanor, and social misanthropy really speak to me. One of my favorite panels is the one in which Liza wonders if the ghost of a turkey can hang around to watch you eat them in a sandwich. File that one under "accidentally vegan (messages)".

Thummler's artwork is lovely, with one glaring exception - I still find the human faces kinda strange and icky looking. (They remind me of that scene in ONE CRAZY SUMMER: "If you make faces like that, and somebody slaps you on the back, you'll stay that way FOREVER!") I can honestly say that I prefer Wendell as a ghost - he's much cuter that way. Not to mention, it's amazing how much emotion Thummler can manifest on the face of a sheet ghost. Wendell slayed me with a single expression when Tierney asked his ghost how anyone could forget him. Like, instant reaction gif there. show less

The 3rd book in the Sheets trilogy connects us back to Marjorie, Eliza, and Wendell as they try to uncover the secrets of Wendell’s human life and death. When they hear a rumor about Wendell’s death, they wonder if it might not have been an accident after all. Meanwhile though, Marjorie begins hanging out with the very girls who used to bully Eliza and it begins to put a strain on their friendship. Can they work together to find out the truth?

I was slightly worried about the ending of this series - the other two books were so good that I put a lot of pressure on this one to hopefully wrap the story up beautifully. Well, I worried for nothing, because Brenna Thummler did a wonderful and amazing job at taking the characters we loved show more throughout this series and giving them a beautiful ending they deserved.

I can’t with Eliza’s dad - he’s just a peach and such a supportive father. When Eliza mentions that Marjorie wants “normal friends” he breaks down what was said, mentions that friendship has to work both ways, and gives an idea of a Duncan family activity to invite her to. And then when Eliza asked for needle and thread in case she has to give her friend stitches, he simply replies with, “You’d be surprised at the medical expertise of the youth today”.

Thummler’s art is stunning as it was before - I can see myself using a few panels as phone backgrounds in the coming months. Her writing has also come a long way from the first novel, and even the second to be honest, I even forgot this was originally aimed at Middle Grade reading and not YA (not that YA readers won’t enjoy this either!)

Overall, a wonderful ending to a trilogy. I’ve been recommending the first novel since it came out for the artwork alone, but now that the series is wrapped up, I’ll be recommending it to all that like the gentle spooky Halloween reads (even though this one goes all the way through Thanksgiving). show less

This might be the most melancholy and death-obsessed trilogy you'll find the in the juvenile graphic novel section. And the books are so thick and slow, I can't imagine most children having the patience to get through them. But, hey, they work for me.

Wendell Hofferly -- Casper the friendly ghost for the 21st century -- is set on finding out the reason behind his death, and his best friend, Marjorie, is trying to help him, but she gets distracted navigating the precarious world of eighth-grade friendships.

The author goes a little overboard trying to give the "Lights" of the title multiple meanings in the book, but it's a satisfying conclusion to an interesting if downbeat series.

A solid end to the series. I loved the twin storylines of Wendell's past and Marjorie and Eliza navigating past friendships/frenemies as they prepare to enter high school in the fall. I particularly love Eliza's conversations with her dad and her funny, salty conversations. I also just enjoy the way that we discover these characters, old and new, through episodic moments -- it feels very true to human experience.

In a Nutshell: A nice finish to the trilogy, though it takes a while to get going. As the focus is on Wendell, I was motivated to read on.

Story Synopsis:

The plot takes place immediately after the events of the second book.
Marjorie and Eliza are still stumbling into being friends. And Wendell is still trying to come to terms with Marjorie having more friends in her life. But all three are united in one idea – they need to find out more about Wendell’s death as his memory of his human life is growing hazy. Eliza’s ghostly interests and Marjorie’s sincerity might just provide a resolution, but things turn somewhat problematic when Marjorie becomes friends with two girls who used to bully Eliza.

The storyline is almost as strong as show more it was in Sheets, the first book of this series. However, the pacing is more like it was in the second book – Delicates, which is why we need to have a lot of patience in the first half of the book.

‘Delicates’ made the mistake of putting Wendell’s track on the backburner, but ‘Lights’ shines the spotlight (or maybe, the ghostlight) on him yet again, thereby immediately enhancing the impact of the story. Wendell’s spirit [pun intended] is captured beautifully, especially in the backstories where his childhood adventures and imaginative mind are displayed. I wish we could have had some kind of closure regarding Wendell’s family, but all mysteries in life aren’t meant to be sorted out, and the end of his track as is, is heartwarming though bittersweet.

Marjorie is somewhat better in this book as compared to the earlier book, but only in the second half. The initial pages see her exactly as she was in ‘Delicates’, caught between two friends and lying to each of them in a silly attempt to keep them satisfied, but ending up hurting their feelings anyway. The change in her attitude occurs after she asks her dad for advice when she feels stuck. I hope kids see a little lesson in that. Most parents are happy to help or guide you and all you need to do is ask. Compromising on your feelings to keep friends happy is never a solution. Eliza also learns some great lessons courtesy her dad. I loved the line he tells her about being supportive working both ways. Both the dads have minimal roles in this book, but they end up leaving their mark.

While there are no major dark themes this time around unlike the first two editions, there are still plenty of emotional moments. Through Marjorie’s dilemma of choosing between her friends and Eliza’s conundrums over fitting in, we also get some nice thoughts and quotable quotes to mull over.

The illustrations, while not that impressive in the first two books as well, are really disappointing this time around. It was so tough for me to believe that most characters in this book were teenagers. The faces are not convincing at all. Marjorie’s hair is also quite weird. This is one graphic novel series where the plot has remained my main motivator to move ahead. Then again, art is always a subjective taste, so maybe these graphics will work exceptionally with other readers.

You might remember that I had been reading this series with my little one in tow. After the lacklustre second book, she was not in the mood to read this at all. When I finally managed to convince her, she did join me but kept complaining about how boring it was, for more than 200 pages. It was only the ending that made her a little happy for her favourite Wendell. But she refused to commit to a rating this time around. show less

In the first book the focus was mostly on Marjorie and in the second book we got to know Eliza and in this third book the focus is on Wendell’s story. I like how they all come to terms with their struggles. Marjorie’s dad also gradually improves.

This might be my favorite of the books. I loved how everything comes together and how the friendships were explored more deeply, and their healing was advancing, and in a realistic way.

This author captures eighth grade friendships well. The story definitely rekindled some old memories. The story also does a good job of showing grief and mental health issues and showing healing too. It’s done subtly and without excessive drama and with realism and so it’s believable and I appreciate show more that.

The mystery in this one was kind of interesting.

The book and series is both sad and funny.

I really have to suspend disbelief with these books, but because of the multiple meanings of ghosts it’s really not that hard.

It’s a great series/trilogy when (for me) each book improves and although the three books work as one story for me in general I liked it more and more as it developed.

Many of the illustrations in this book are stunning. The nature scenes are beautiful.

I would definitely recommend this trilogy to many 9-12 year old readers and to some teens and to some adults too. I really enjoyed it. I’m glad I gave book one and the series and second chance, and that was thanks to Caroline’s review of the first book. show less

The final book in Brenna Thummler's remarkable graphic novel series, I was left with all the feels, and I think this would be an excellent series for anyone, young or old, who is struggling to find their place in the world. I have purchased every book in the series, and this will be no different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

#Lights #Sheets #Delicates #OniPress #BrennaThummler #NetGalley