COMING SOON: Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

~COMING SOON TO THE UMS LIBRARY~

Shooting Stars

By Allison Rushby

Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books, February 2012

272 pages (hardcover)

Behind the flashing lights, the camera reveals all . . . even love.

Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on an undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett—teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her—at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: real photography classes, and maybe even quitting her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment. (NetGalley)

Paparazzi- I just don’t like them. They stalk celebrities, get in other people’s business, and even come up with some outrageous stories. Shooting Stars focuses on the life of a teenage girl, Jo, who is an up-and-coming paparazzi in LA. She uses her small size to sneak around, get exclusive shots, and get paid some big bucks (which she spends on take-out or puts in the bank for photography school). Then Jo is given the chance to go undercover -and do some ethically questionable things- but in return she will be given enough money to go to photography school. It is easy to do questionable things when you don’t know the person, but as Jo gets closer to her target, capturing his private moments becomes more difficult; he is no longer just some celebrity, but a real person with real thoughts, feelings, and secrets.

Shooting Stars was an easy and enjoyable read. It took me into the wild world of Hollywood, had a little romance, had some fun characters that became Jo’s friends, and had just enough serious stuff to make things interesting but not a downer. This is definitely a book to pick up if you want a something to take you away from the drama and craziness of your life!