Pretty Bad Things
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Sixteen-year old twins in Candy-Store crime spree twins, Paisley and Beau Argent are in the headlines again. Last time, they were the 'wonder twins', when as six-year-olds they were found alive in woods after three days missing following their mother's death - three days spent looking for their dad. Now at sixteen, life's not so wonderful. Out-cast and exploited by their money-grabbing grandmother they're still clueless about their dad's whereabouts - until they discover an old letter from him. That's when they decide to hit the road - and make headlines again. Holding up fast-food joints in Las Vegas might seem extreme but if they can get on the news, and tell their dad they need him, they might get the dream reunion they never thought could happen.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Paisley and Beau Argent are the famous Wonder Twins who, at six years old, are found in the woods of New Jersey three days after their abusive mother's overdose. Following her death, they also lose their caring father, who is imprisoned for robbery. The twins tell their story with some fairy tale like embellishments through alternating voices: after exploiting the twins on the talk-show circuit, their money-grubbing grandmother sends troublemaker Paisley to several boarding schools in New Jersey (all of which she gets expelled from) and keeps contemplative Beau with her in Los Angeles. But at 16, Beau discovers a stash of letters from their father that were kept from them; the siblings reunite in Las Vegas, determined to find him. When they run out of cash, their story morphs from Hansel and Gretel to Bonnie and Clyde. Skuse's fast-paced, edgy debut incorporates some predictable characters (including the twins' malevolent grandmother and a disapproving school principal), but she conveys the twins' powerful connection through their affecting dialogue and recollections of childhood. Readers should be fully invested in their whirlwind tour of the Vegas strip, right up to the unexpected ending. Ages 13 up.
