Shutter

by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Overview

THE FACTS
• Julian Roman, age sixteen, is an escapee from the Fairmount County Juvenile Detention Facility.
• His parents, Michael Roman and Jennifer Roman, are dead.
• Julian is wanted for murder.

THE QUESTIONS
• Why is Julian Roman on the run?
• Just how dangerous is he?
• And who did kill Michael and Jennifer Roman, if not Julian?

Sixteen-year-old Day Connor views life through the lens of her camera, where perspective is everything. But photographs never tell the whole story. After Day crosses paths with Julian, the world she pictures and the truths she believes-neatly captured in black and white-begin to blur.

Julian is not the "armed and dangerous" escapee the police are searching for, but his alibis don't quite add up, either. There is more to his story. This time, Day is determined to see the entire picture . . . whatever it reveals. Did he? Or didn't he?

Day digs deeper into the case while Julian remains on the run. But the longer her list of facts becomes, the longer the list of questions becomes, too. It's also getting harder to deny the chemistry she feels for him. Is it real? Or is she being manipulated?

Day is close to finding the crack in the case. She just needs time to focus before the shutter snaps shut.

Laurie Faria Stolarz is a master of suspense and romance. Shutter will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484727904
Publisher:	Disney Press
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Welcome to the Dark House, Return to the Dark House, and the Touch series, as well as Project 17; Bleed; and the highly popular Blue Is for Nightmares; White Is for Magic; Silver Is for Secrets; Red Is for Remembrance; and Black Is for Beginnings. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston. For more information, please visit www.LaurieStolarz.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/12/2016
The daughter of social-justice-crusading parents, 16-year-old amateur photographer Day O’Connor takes up the cause of a teenage convict on the run in this uneven mystery. After Day spots a handsome, disheveled boy with a familiar-looking face in a local Massachusetts convenience store, she learns that he is Julian Roman, 16, accused of killing his parents and escaping a nearby juvenile detention facility. Day hides Julian in her parents’ barn while she aims to learn more about his case; Julian is predictably reluctant to share his feelings with Day, who is excited to have found a cause célèbre to rival those that take up more and more of her mother’s time. Julian recounts his own version of the events leading to the deaths of his abusive father and depressed mother in italicized chapters, which makes his tape-recorded interviews with the eager Day feel like overkill. While readers may unravel the whodunit before Day does, Stolarz (Welcome to the Dark House) creates some genuinely emotional scenes and thorny dilemmas for her characters. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kathy Green, Kathryn Green Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—Day is searching for herself and trying to deal with some major changes in her life. When she comes across a shy teenage boy, Julian, who is about to shoplift cans of tuna in a minimart, she knows there must be more to the story, but she doesn't expect the police to come to her door later asking about him. The police say Julian murdered his parents and escaped from a juvenile detention center. He is sick and starving but not armed and dangerous. Day decides to hide Julian while she checks into what really happened the night that Julian's mother drowned and his father was murdered. The novel is told mainly from Day's point of view, with Julian's journal entries filling in the blanks. Day is described as having a passion for photography, and the book's title reflects that. However, her photography interest does not seem to add anything to the narrative. This element will leave readers wondering why the book is named after something that seems so incidental. The characters are a little unconvincing at times, and plot threads seem to start and end quickly throughout. Still, this is a quick novel and may keep reluctant readers engaged. VERDICT Not a must-have for most collections; purchase where accessible mysteries are needed.—Danielle Fabrizio, Swanton Public Library, VT

School Library Journal

2016-07-20
“Everyone has their story.” Day just wants to know the one behind the mysterious boy at the convenience store—who’s also wanted for murder.Named after Sandra Day O’Connor, of course 16-year-old Day (it provides a “layer of distance”), an amateur photographer, is expected to do great things. And with parents who are both activists, her fate is sealed. But when the white teen accidentally bumps into olive-skinned Julian Roman, also 16 and an escapee from a juvenile detention center, it’s her natural curiosity and compassion that drive her to get to know this reticent teen who’s been convicted of killing his father. Day makes it her mission to hide Julian until she can find out the facts about his case and solve his father’s murder. When she discovers more questions and lies than truths in this quick read, she begins to realize that the answers may not be as black and white as her photographs. Stolarz plays on the photography theme, requiring Day to look through many lenses to make sense of her new world, which also includes recently separated parents, a difficult mother-daughter relationship, and the possibility of first-time romance. Sporadic journal entries from Julian provide insight into his thoughts, actions, and motives. Breezy but solid, with enough plot twists to keep readers guessing. (Mystery. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"Solid, with enough plot twists to keep readers guessing."—Kirkus

"The author plays with photography themes throughout the book as Day uses her camera to understand Julian, their budding romance, and her own life through different lenses and perspectives. This book will be popular with mystery readers and it will keep them guessing until the very end."—School Library Connection

"The mystery has a fast pace and successful red herrings that will keep readers wondering about Julian's innocence."—Booklist

From the Publisher