Pina is excited about going to summer camp with her best friend Jo. It will be a respite from her demanding, Persian American parents and a chance to reinvent herself as “Pina 2.0,” less in need of Jo’s protection against the world.
Jo, of Filipino heritage, is looking forward to the camp in order to get away from the uncaring aunt and uncle with whom she lives, and as a chance to try out “she/they” pronouns. (Jo tells Pina, however, to keep using “she/her” for her while she sees how it feels when other people use the new ones.)
Something seems wrong about the camp, however. Along with new friends and fellow outsiders Arish and Eddy, the youth discover that deep in the camp’s woods is a mysterious clearing that the older campers call “the Glade.” Fall asleep there, and you can share dreams, transforming into imagined heroes—but also calling up horrors. Soon, the nightmares spread back into real life, and seem to be negatively impacting Jo’s behavior. Pina, who is cued as neurodivergent (possibly autistic), must work with her friends to figure out the camp’s mysteries and stop the danger before it is too late.
This is a deliciously creepy story (though middle-grade appropriate for those who don’t mind giant spiders, growing fungus, and other light horror elements), but also an insightful look at some of the horrors of the real world, including racism, xenophobia, childhood mental abuse, and more. Consider this a content warning—but also an affirmation that author Naseem Jamnia explores the topics with care, making this a thoughtful, potentially cathartic, and highly recommended tale.
Arish is Pakistani American and Eddy is Black.
