Twenty Questions for Gloria

April 25, 2016
With an eye for adolescent introspection, Bedford (Never Ending) sets this story in present-day England, where 15-year-old Gloria has just returned to her parents after having run away for two weeks with new student Uman Padeem. How their unauthorized adventure came about is revealed in flashbacks and through direct questioning about their escapade by a detective inspector. For Gloria, Uman's impulsivity, passion, and fearlessness embodied everything she felt was missing from her normal, public school life. And so one day, the two simply walked away from it all. The story initially focuses on Uman's possible whereabouts after Gloria's return, yet Bedford's narrative is less a mystery and more a portrayal of an adolescent grappling with existential dilemmas. The transition from the events of Gloria's disappearance to the present day builds suspense and raises questions about whether adulthood requires settling into conformity. Uman's character is underdeveloped, but readers will empathize with Gloria's desire for escape while hoping that she can find a middle ground that allows for adventure without recklessness. Ages 14âup. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM.

February 1, 2016
Two teens run away to a better life--temporarily. Gloria Ellis, a self-described 15-year-old white girl, has "a nagging sense of restlessness. Of dissatisfaction" with her life--as created by her discontented parents--at Litchbury High in Yorkshire when "posh-spoken, polite," and slightly androgynous new student Uman Padeem strolls into her classroom, defies the instructor, and asks her best friend to sit somewhere else so he can sit next to Gloria. Uman, who is also 15 and describes himself as "Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, basically," further flatters Gloria by glomming onto her wit, loneliness, and yearning and subtly manipulates her. And she is, as her instructor gently reproaches, "in his thrall." Even though Gloria suspects that Uman's story about himself doesn't jell, she agrees to run away with him. Her initial exhilaration goes flat, starting with the recognition that, as they venture further into the rural parts of the country, as "a dark-skinned guy with a white girl," they would attract attention. Even as Bedford turns the story on the gripping device of a detective interrogating Gloria about her two-week disappearance with Uman, he fails to interrogate his own treatment of Uman as a character. Uman never really moves beyond inscrutable and exotic, the creepily flattering boyfriend, which reinforces the stereotype of the Middle Eastern man luring away white women to their disgrace, if not peril. A page-turner that runs aground on a shoal of stereotype. (Thriller. 14-18)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Gloria Jade Ellis, aka Glo-jay, is a typical British teenager at Litchbury High-she hangs out with her best friend, the pretty and popular Tierney, after school, gets hot chocolate with marshmallows at Cafe Nero, and watches rom-coms. It isn't until the mysterious new boy at school shows up that Gloria realizes how much she would like things to change. Uman Padeem, the new boy with the dress code-flaunting bangles on his wrist, posh accent, and Kerouac-quoting view of life inspires Gloria to break the school and social rules of her previously routine existence in pursuit of meaning and adventure. But Uman has secrets of his own, and Gloria will have to find out how fantasy and reality can coexist in the new life she is trying to create for herself. The novel's narrative framework takes the form of a police interview, with Gloria responding to questions with blunt responses and longer first-person chapters written in her voice that delineate her and Uman's growing relationship. The witty banter between the pair will appeal to teens who love books with quirky dialogue and zingy one-liners, which also provide a refreshing and authentic counterpoint to the darker themes that run through the story. Young fans of police procedurals will enjoy the suspenseful, rapid-fire pace, cinematic dialogue and believable characters (the adults in Gloria's life, in particular, have smaller roles but are sympathetic and true-to-life) of Bedford's latest novel. VERDICT For fans of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park (St. Martin's, 2013).-Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

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March 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Exactly what happened during the 15 days Gloria Ellis was missing? Detective Inspector Ryan tries to find out as she questions the teen, concentrating her inquiries on the enigmatic and still missing Uman. Blending interview transcripts with Gloria's internal recollections, the tale is parsed out over the DI's 20 questions, keeping the atmosphere taut and mysterious. What emerges is not a horror story (though that's clearly what all the adult characters are expecting to hear) but one of teen impulsiveness, first love, and survival. Gloria rewinds events to a couple of weeks prior to her disappearance, when Uman first arrives at her high school. Her motivations for leaving home and Uman's past gradually come to light as the narrative unfurls and Gloria relates the details of their adventure. The premise promises a bit more than the story delivers; however, Bedford's (Never Ending, 2014) skillful writing and unusual format will draw in teens who identify with the urge to cast off the mundane and find their place in the world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)