So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld

ISBN: 978-1-595-14032-6
Razorbill, NY
2004
225 pages

Plot Summary

17-year-old Hunter gets paid to spot new trends, so when he notices the original way that Jen has tied her shoelaces, he knows that he's met an innovator, one of the people who start trends with their new ideas. The plot is actually pretty thin but that's OK because this is a story about trends and marketing and product placement and how advertising changes how we view the world. Malcolm Gladwell touches on some of these same issues in his books. Interesting reading about the pyramid of cool, with innovators at the peak and laggards at the bottom - but some laggards are so behind the times that they're actually retro-cool.

Critical Evaluation

This is a fun book that pokes fun at trends and labels but makes us think about inventors or people who try a different way of doing something. Scott Westerfeld adds some interesting trivia facts. I love the part in the book where Hunter calls the NYPL and asks the librarian how to tie a bowtie. First she asks, "Post or Vanderbilt," and then she proceeds to explain it to him over the phone!

Reader's Annotation

Teen trendspotter Hunter and his innovator girlfriend Jen think that his boss has been kidnapped. They scour NYC looking for her while undercover and discover a world of high-tech marketing gone wrong.

Author Info

Scott Westerfeld is one of the authors who encouraged Cory Doctorow to write YA books. His books include The Last Days, an ALA Best Book for YA and his award-winning Uglies series. He was born in Texas and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia and NYC.

Genre

YA suspense novel

Curriculum Ties

Could lead to interesting discussions about consumerism and product placement in Life Skills

Booktalking Ideas

1. Hunter meets Jen for the first time and takes a picture of her shoelaces.

2. Hunter and Jen go to his friend Tina's apt., an homage to Japanese innovation.

Reading/Interest Level

High school for both

Challenge Issues

Not really except maybe underage drinking

Why I Included This Book

Scott Westerfeld is a popular YA author - I had no idea what this book was going to be about - a good recommendation for teens interested in trends and fashion (just about all of them)!