Parents' Guide to

Shutter

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Scary horror thriller offers a fresh take on old monsters.

Book Courtney Alameda Horror 2015
Shutter Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

Kristen L.
Kristen L. Parent
November 25, 2016
age 11+

WOW WHAT I TWIST!

I read this book before giving it to my kids to read. They LOVED it! They read it 2 years ago and STILL talk about Luca, Micheline, and Ryder. It is a horror book, but is not scary as long as you like ghost and vampires.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

One of the last descendants of the infamous, vampire-killing Van Helsing lineage, Micheline Helsing is a "tetrachromat," able to see the auras of the undead and dispatch them with either a bullet (if they're zombies) or a camera lens (if they're ghosts). What should have been a routine ghost hunt turns deadly, and Micheline and the three male crewmates get infected with a curse known as a soulchain. With only a week to live, Micheline and her friends must unearth deadly family secrets and learn the identity of the powerful entity haunting them before it's too late.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

SHUTTER earns points for bringing a new set of trappings to the traditional monster-hunter story. Using photography as a weapon against ghosts is ingenious, and author Courtney Alameda makes the most of her unusual conceit. Shutter is hip, action-packed, and genuinely scary. The plot feels a bit overstuffed with complications, but most readers are likely to enjoy the wild ride.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why ghosts, zombies, and vampires are such enduring figures in literature and popular culture. Why do writers and readers return to them so frequently?

  • Why do some writers choose to set their fiction in "alternate" versions of real-life settings? What advantages do they gain by mixing fact and fiction?

  • What happens when parents and their children have very different expectations of what family tradition means? What are productive ways to express the differences between yourself and the older generations of your family?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate