Teen Fiction, Fiction Subjects

So Yesterday

Name: So Yesterday
Author: Scott Westerfeld
ISBN: 9781595140326

by Scott Westerfeld

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Overview

But when a big-money client disappears, Hunter must use all his cool-hunting talents to find her. Along the way he's drawn into a web of brand-name intrigue-a missing cargo of the coolest shoes he's ever seen, ads for products that don't exist, and a shadowy group dedicated to the downfall of consumerism as we know it.

Synopsis

Ever wonder who was the first kid to keep a wallet on a big chunky chain, or wear way-too-big pants on purpose? What about the mythical first guy who wore his baseball cap backwards? These are the Innovators, the people on the very cusp of cool. Seventeen-year-old Hunter Braque's job is finding them for the retail market. But when a big-money client disappears, Hunter must use all his cool-hunting talents to find her. Along the way he's drawn into a web of brand-name intrigue- a missing cargo of the coolest shoes he's ever seen, ads for products that don't exist, and a shadowy group dedicated to the downfall of consumerism as we know it.

Publishers Weekly

A teenage male Trendsetter (one who spots trends and makes them "cool") for a shoe company wants to introduce an Innovator (one who invents trends) peer to his boss-but the boss has disappeared and foul play is suspected. PW's starred review said, "this entertaining adventure doubles as a smart critique on marketing and our consumer culture." Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld's teen novels include the Uglies series, the Midnighters trilogy, The Last Days, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and the sequel to Peeps. Scott was born in Texas, and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia, and New York City.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

KLIATT

Cool is cool, and what's cool today is tomorrow's old news. But who decides what's cool? Marketing executives? Big name celebrities? Or is cool created one unique shoelace tie at a time by Innovators who live outside the box? Just ask Hunter. He's a Trendsetter whose job is to determine "cool" and send it on down the line, through the Early Adopters, the Consumers, and finally the Laggards. Best of all, he gets paid for it as a "cool hunter" who works for "the client," a big-name company that specializes in athletic wear through Mandy, their marketing agent. Things get a little complicated when he discovers Jen, a true Innovator, and brings her to a "cool tasting" with the other Trendsetters. They stumble into a plot to bootleg the perfect shoe just when Mandy turns up missing, with only her cell phone left behind. Hunter and Jen set off to find Mandy, expose the bootleggers, and track down rogue cool hunters who are underground and working against the client and all things cool. So Yesterday is so today. Westerfeld has encapsulated today's cool in a fast-paced, fun novel that's not afraid to poke fun at our own consumerism while at the same time recognizing that cool rules. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Razorbill, 246p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Michele Winship

VOYA

So Yesterday is a very interesting view of modern cool and the hunting thereof from the point of view of two teenagers, Jennifer (most popular name for the 1970s and 1980s) and Hunter (32nd most popular name for the same time frame). It offers a classic start to some sort of romantic comedy, but I assure you that this tale is instead an adventure story that takes place in a concrete jungle. I would recommend this book to any inquisitive soul who wants to know more about those people who are first to wear the five-inch platform shoes or have psychedelic hair, as well as those who follow in the wake of the innovation. I would also recommend it to anyone who just wants a good story that is set today and manages to describe a place as plastered with advertising as New York City without mentioning more than five products. This review was brought to you by the word "cool" and the Innovator Shane (75th most popular name for 1980-1990) Bell. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Razorbill/Penguin, 256p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Shane Bell, Teen Reviewer

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-New York City is the backdrop for this trendy, often surreal novel with a message about the down-and-dirty business of inventing and marketing pop-cultural fads. Hunter Braque, 17, is part of a focus group that views advertisements for shoes. A product gets the nod if it is "skate," but it is more important to point out what might be "uncool." When the teen brings Jen to the next meeting, she spots uncool right away and lets Hunter's boss, Mandy, know. The next day, the woman tells Hunter that the client appreciated Jen's original thinking, and that their help is needed for a "big deal." Jen and Hunter quickly find themselves caught up in a strange turn of events when Mandy disappears. Their search for her begins in an abandoned building in Chinatown and leads to a wild, drunken party at the Museum of Natural History where people are viewing advertisements for a new shampoo. This is a somewhat entertaining story, but awkward phrasing throughout defeats the "coolness," and the scenes involving Hunter's epidemiologist dad slow down the plot. Readers will better appreciate the satire and humor about the consumer world in M. T. Anderson's Feed (Candlewick, 2002), in which the characters are far more realistic.-Kelly Czarnecki, Bloomington Public Library, IL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

This clever, quirky romp through New York City tackles the question: "What makes something cool?" Seventeen-year-old Hunter works for a famous shoe company spotting trends and taking part in focus groups. Three years earlier, having moved from Minnesota to Manhattan and finding himself an outsider, Hunter began to analyze and write a blog about the "billion coded messages being sent every day with clothes, hair, music, slang," which led to his job. When a radical group, out to undermine corporations, apparently kidnaps his boss, Mandy, Hunter and his adventurous friend and romantic interest Jen embark on a fast-paced, sometimes dangerous quest to rescue her. Unlike most realistic YA fiction, this one blends in interesting information as Hunter reflects on how trends spread and such unlikely topics as the popularity of certain names and the history of purple dye. While the plot occasionally requires a suspension of disbelief, the dialogue is snappy-and Hunter, whose anxiety underlies his need to be cool, is a charming narrator with an original take on teen life. (Fiction. 12+)