Troubletwisters #1 by Garth Nix and Sean Williams

This is the first book in the series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Jaide and Jack are twins, and some strange things have started to happen. Their father shows up, which is unusual, and their house is destroyed. The kids are shipped off to their grandmother's house, where they discover that they have some unknown powers. Grandma X is a Warden, and the kids will someday become Wardens to guard the world against The Evil. However, troubletwisters cause problems as they learn to control their new powers. The Evil tries to lure the twins away from their grandmother, so it can take over their powers. Things look bad when Jack is trapped below ground, alone, and he's overwhelmed by creatures controlled by The Evil. Later, Grandma X is unconscious and near death, so Jaide and Jack must battle the enemy forces on their own.

The plot is similar to many others in which characters must discover their hidden talents. This plot is a little different, because the kids are pretty much left to discover their talents on their own. There is a belief that more trouble can come if information is revealed before its time, so Grandma X and the father don't share much to help the kids. This strategy kind of backfires and creates problems of its own. The authors were able to keep the action moving, and the resolution leaves itself open to the second book in the series.