Pretty Bad Things

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%E2%80%94with some fairy tale%E2%80%93like embellishments%E2%80%94through 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%E2%80%93up. (July)