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So Yesterday (novel)

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So Yesterday
AuthorScott Westerfeld
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult
PublisherPenguin Group
Publication date
September 9, 2004[1]
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback)
Print (paperback)
Pages240 (hardback)[2]
256 (paperback)[3]
ISBN978-1-59514-000-5

So Yesterday is a young adult suspense novel by Scott Westerfeld published in 2004. It has won a Victorian Premier's Award[4] and is also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.[5] So Yesterday, the author's third publication, is considered his "breakout novel" and has been optioned to be made into a film by one of the producers of Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine.[6] This novel explores issues surrounding marketing, especially marketing targeted at youth, the Technology adoption life cycle, and culture jamming.

Synopsis

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A seventeen-year-old high schooler named Hunter works as a cool hunter, finding and selling new trends to his corporate sponsors. His latest find is Jen, an honest-to-goodness 'Innovator' whom he spots based on her unique shoelaces. Together they are drawn into a mystery when one of Hunter's bosses disappears after she runs a 'cool tasting' for a new brand of shoe. What he finds ends up to be nothing like he had expected.

Characters

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  • Hunter is a teenage boy who is what is known as a 'cool hunter.' He is paid by corporations to go out on the streets and figure out what is 'cool.'
  • Jen is a teenage girl and potential love interest for Hunter. She is what is known as an 'innovator,' meaning she is creative and comes up with new fashion trends.
  • Mandy is Hunter's boss. She works for 'the client,' which is a shoe company (presumably Nike) and at the beginning of the novel, she mysteriously goes missing.
  • The Bald Man is someone involved with Mandy's disappearance who follows Hunter and Jen.
  • NASCAR Man is a mysterious person working with the Bald Man in some sort of conspiracy.
  • Mwadi Wickersham is a roller skate enthusiast who is also involved in Mandy's disappearance.
  • Futura Garamond is a mysterious man who has been fired from countless jobs and is known for creating text that is unreadable (his name is a combination of two different text fonts).
  • Hilary Winston-Smith is also a cool hunter like Hunter. She is a socialite and reluctantly helps Hunter and Jen in their search for Mandy. Hunter tends to refer to her as Hilary Winston-Hyphen-Smith, or simply Hillary Hyphen, to poke fun at her aristocratic tendencies and lifestyle.
  • Tina Catalina is a friend of Hunter's who is obsessed with Japanese pop culture. She helps Hunter and Jen solve Mandy's disappearance.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Penguin Group
  2. ^ Borders.com Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Borders.com Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "The Prize for Young Adult Fiction: Winner 2005", State Library of Victoria, retrieved March 5, 2010
  5. ^ "Best Books for Young Adults 2005", Young Adult Library Services Association, retrieved March 5, 2010
  6. ^ "The king of cool codes", The Age, January 28, 2006, retrieved March 5, 2010