Pretty Bad Things

Skuse, C. J. (2011). Pretty bad things. New York: Chicken House/Scholastic. Paisley and Beau Argent had their first brush with fame when their mother died, and the six-year-olds were found alive after wandering in the woods for three days. The media christened them the "Wonder Twins," and their story touched the hearts and pockets of many viewers. Ten years later, after a series of talk show appearances staged by their grandmother, Beau continues to fend off bullies at his school who see his bookish nature as equating weakness, and Paisley has run through a series of private schools. The story alternates between the voices of Beau and Paisley, which provides insight into their very different personalities. When Beau happens upon letters from their father, who was incarcerated for a crime and supposedly never contacted his children, Paisley manages to get expelled once again, and returns home to get Beau and some cash. Determined to find their father, whose last address was in Las Vegas, they steal their grandmother's car, and check in to a cheap hotel. Although the haunt the casino area, they fail to find more than a glimpse of the man. Paisley decides to conduct a series of robberies of stores that sell doughnuts, ice cream, candy, and popcorn. At each crime site they leave stickers proclaiming their love for their father. Since they are mounting a two-person crime wave, they rightly assume that the story will hit the airwaves, which is exactly what happens. The twins' activities strike a nerve in many other teens and even adults who regard their behavior as appropriately anarchic and puposeful since they're trying to find their dad. Websites devoted to their story spring up, and Internet users proclaim their undying devoting to Beau. Readers will surely ponder the fleetingness of fame and our seemingly relentless obsessions with people who have no claim to fame other than being famous or being related to someone famous.

Eventually, just when things are looking good for the two, their grandmother shows up and spoils the family reunion. She is painted with a dark brush and given no attributes that elicit any sympathy whatsoever. It is at that point that my enjoyment of the story broke down since she was just so thoroughly wicked and single-minded. When Beau suddenly takes charge, I found it somewhat unbelievable since he had followed the take-charge Paisley all the way. All in all, it's interesting to ponder exactly who or what the pretty bad things alluded to in the title were--Beau and Paisley, the crimes they committed in Vegas, or the abuses they suffered at the hands of their mother and grandmother?

Despite the uneven quality of the book, there is enough here that is fresh and interesting to attract teen readers.

Favorite Lines:

“Naked gold mannequins and snakeskin purses in the windows of Nieman Marcus and Bloomingdales told me I shouldn’t even darken their doorsteps, while Nathan’s Famous and KFC were ready to welcome me with open arteries” (p. 134).

“Beau’s face darkened like a little cloud had appeared above his head” (p. 144).