By Sarah Russell
When one of the 12-year-old main characters in Reno author Naseem Jamnia’s new book, The Glade, says, “I guess I feel like an alien walking around humans. I’ve never belonged anywhere, you know?” it is clear that Jamnia knows the loneliness and anxiety that plague many tweens.
Jamnia’s compassion for nerdy, lonely kids makes for a sweet and uplifting novel—despite the giant spiders and oozing mushrooms the kids in the novel must battle.
The book tells the story of four kids at summer camp in the Midwest who discover a place in the woods called The Glade, where they experience vivid, interconnected dreams; fantasies can become reality—at least for a night; and kids can become the heroes of their favorite TV shows. When the darker side of this magical place is revealed, the kids must face their insecurities, anxieties and lack of control over their lives to save themselves and each other from its horrors.
The scarier things get, the more the kids doubt themselves—and the more they fight for each other and cheer each other on. I asked Jamnia, who uses they/them pronouns, why they wrote the book.
“I want the kids to feel like somebody has given them a hug and said, ‘I see you; I believe you. I see that you’re struggling, and regardless of what that is, you’re going to be fine,’” Jamnia said.
Middle grade readers will sense Jamnia’s mission; the novel is never patronizing, always engaging and always believes in the kids.
As a graduate student, Jamnia studied both neuroscience and writing, so it is no surprise their writing is speculative fiction, bridging what could theoretically happen with what we know is true in science and the everyday world. The main character, Pina, is a 12-year-old science enthusiast who loves learning about plants and has a solid understanding of mycology, which comes in handy, as mushrooms from The Glade start popping up everywhere in camp.
Pina, who arrives at the summer camp full of anxiety, is surprised to meet other kids who like her and listen to her. She is used to kids at school thinking she’s a nerd because of her interest in science. Pina thinks, “There seemed to be a pattern with bullies and thinking nerd things were uncool. It must have been a boring life for them.” In Jamnia’s hands, Pina’s nerdiness becomes a superpower, as her understanding of plants helps her save her friends, and her anxiety becomes the vigilance and care that allows her to see everyone to safety.
When I asked Jamnia why they wrote this book for middle grades, they said, “For me, writing for kids is about making sure kids feel seen, particularly kids who don’t usually get to feel seen. So much of middle grades is about, ‘How do I fit into my community? How do I find people around me that make me feel like myself?’”
While there are some scary elements in this horror novel, in the end, The Glade is a novel about friendship, family, protecting loved ones and processing trauma and hardship.
“Kids experience trauma as much as anybody else does,” Jamnia said. “It’s a big thing to make sure that what they come away with at the end isn’t a sense of despair. That doesn’t mean that we can’t talk about hard things for kids. That doesn’t mean there can’t be scary things, tough things, sad things. You have to give kids a sense of hope.”
A second main character is Pina’s best friend, Jo, another 12-year-old. Jo wonders about their gender identity, not sure if they want to continue using female pronouns. Jamnia—discussing the novel at a time when a recent ruling in the United Kingdom said trans women are not women, and the Trump administration is using Title IX to challenge transgender athletes—explained, “I want kids to feel safe when they pick it up with everything that’s going on. … Kids need characters who are closeted and out, who are in unsafe environments and safe environments; they deserve to find the book that they love and that they see themselves in.
“My ultimate hope with this book is that kids who have things they’re going through will feel seen. I dedicated the book to kids who don’t have safe adults in their lives. A lot of kids don’t have safe adults, and it sucks. It’s just so unfair. And even those who do have safe adults in their lives will know kids who don’t. … We all have our traumas; there’s no way you can shield kids from that.”
To Jamnia, the book’s most important message is: “It’s OK that you’re not OK, and you deserve to be OK one day.”
The Glade will be published by Simon and Schuster.
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