Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Title: Shooting Stars
Author: Allison Rushby
Pages: 272
Publisher: Walker Childrens

From goodreads.com: 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.

 We meet Jo, LA's tiniest paparazzo, at an event where she's staking out Ned Hartnett, one of LA's most elusive stars.  He doesn't get out much, so photos of him go for big bucks.  Jo's trying to get out of the family biz (her dad's a pap, too) and the money could go a long way towards the serious photography classes she wants to take.  Little does she know there's an even bigger job coming her way - following Ned to a "retreat" (rehab, but for nonspecific issues.  There's no drugs, alcohol, or eating disorder issues in sight.)  As she gets closer to Ned her pesky moral compass keeps pestering her that what she's doing isn't okay.  Does she stay and sell the pictures anyway?  Or does she try and find a way out of the deal she made?


I really enjoy celebrity stories in teen books.  They're the ultimate fantasy.  I mean, who doesn't want to meet a star who is super cute and way into you?  Jo doesn't.  It makes her job incredibly difficult.  I enjoyed wading through this moral dilemma with her.  How much of a celebrity's private life is actually private?  Where is the line?  How far is too far?  I really liked Ned's story (and I'm not going to give anything away, because I thought there was a nice little twist to it.)


It was fun for me to read a story from the POV of a paparazzi because when I went to LA in October I actually got to talk to someone who does that and saw him in action.  It was kind of cool to watch and reading Shooting Stars brought me back there in my mind.  I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a fast, fun read.  It's perfect for summer!