Naya was afraid. She didn’t want to stay in this hospital. She thought it seemed different from the other, regular hospitals, even though she had never stayed in any sort of hospital before. This hospital didn’t seem at all like the hospital her classmate had described after having her tonsils removed. Besides, Naya didn’t even feel sick.’
The hospital Naya has been admitted to is the psychiatric section of the Newbury hospital. Naya was taken to the hospital’s emergency room after what her parents believed to be a suicide attempt. What would cause a 7 year old to attempt a jump off the balcony of her room? That’s what Dr. Peter Gram must find out before she tries it again.
While working with Naya, Dr. Gram finds that while sleeping, Naya goes into a trance like state. In her dreams she carries on conversations with someone that only she can see. Upon waking, Naya draws pictures of her dreams including the person she talks with. In one of her pictures she draws an elephant and a young girl who’s body has been dismembered. When Dr. Gram questions Naya about the picture she tells him about the girl, the conversation she had with her and the even the girl’s name. But what do these disturbing pictures mean and who is the girl?
In an area not far from the hospital, 5th grader Janet Troy is missing. When her book bag is found on the property of Senator Thomas Bailey, the FBI sends in their best agent Leia Bines to direct the search. When Agent Bines and Dr. Gram come together they discover a connection between Janet and Naya’s drawings giving them the clues needed to hopefully find out what happened to the missing Janet.
A Circle of Souls was not only a book that kept my attention from beginning to end but also a book that enlightened me in the care of children in the psychiatric units of these special hospitals. And who better to write this story than a doctor devoted to the care of these special children… Dr. Preetham Grandhi
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