One Book One State

Posted on by scott

First: You are all terribly sophisticated.

Trust me, you are. It’s all here in this article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Apparently, teen readers are much cleverer these days, reading more and better books.

A nice change from the usual under-researched gloom about “young people these days.” These days rule.

Second: I have a cool announcement for you. This became official a while back, but the time has come to reveal it here . . .

New Jersey has selected So Yesterday as its young adult One Book One State book for 2007!

I wrote So Yesterday in 2003, after returning from my first year in Australia. I’d been away from New York for eighteen months, and the book is sort of a love letter to the city. It’s also about marketing and advertising, and is the first of my “obscure facts books,” which include the NY-centric Peeps and The Last Days.

Justine also says that the protagonist of SY, Hunter, is the character in my books who’s most like me.* Hmm.

Obviously, I’m very excited and honored that teen-folk all over the Garden State will be reading it. Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

As the first of my One Book One State duties, I’ll be in Elizabeth, NJ next week, talking about So Yesterday and answering all questions!

Date and Time:
Wednesday, March 14
6:00 to 7:30
Place
Elizabeth Public Library
11 South Broad Street
Elizabeth, NJ
(908-354-6060 ext. 7235)

Here’s a helpful link!

Hope to see you there.

______________________________
*If I was 17 and much, much cooler.

44 thoughts on “One Book One State”

  1. I absolutely love So Yesterday. I’ve checked it out at the library at least a dozen times.

    btw.. You are very very cool. You may not work for “the client”, but your adoring fans could care less.

  2. Why doesn’t MY state have a one-book-for-all thing? Our library does but it had this book called “The Highest Tide” which I didn’t like at all. So, peoples, don’t read it.

    But good for you, Scott. You’ll have a bunch of fans in Jersey.

    *Does second comment break dance and fails*

    All righty.
    -Topaz

  4. Congrats!!! Too bad I don’t live in Jersey. Maybe I could start some kind of Scott Westerfeld Movement here in Kansas. Can I do that? Maybe. Just maybe. If the vampires are on my side. (Despite Justine’s dislike for them, they ARE on my side.)

  5. I just bought So Yesterday last week. LOVED IT. It’s very deserving of it’s latest honor =3

    Obscure facts RULE. They make me feel smarter when I memorize them and recite them at random intervals during Chemistry and English! =D

    And about the reading thing… haha. Something to use against the people who mock my bookwormy-ness. (Which is not a word.)

  7. even though I live in Philly, will attempt to stop by. Unless you want to detour over to Philly perhaps please Scott??? I will bring friends:D

  8. Okay, Elizabeth is definitely a little far for a Wednesday stroll. But you could come to Philly the next night/to my school the next morning, eh? I will bring an entourage, Scott….
    We’ll even One Book you if you come.

  10. Congratulations. I love So Yesterday, especially the psychosematic epidemic nature of fashion. Bookwormyness may not be an actual word, but it’s a great tridecalogism lol.

  11. Ya im sophisticated! Im also sad case i dont live in New Jersey. Boo Hoo for me. Anyway, you are very right about us reading better books because anyone commenting here has. COME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE PLEASE!

  12. Yay, Scott! I’m excited! Can you tell?!!!!!!!!!!!! Now all I have to do is introduce hordes of Alabamians to your books, make them declare it state book or something, and then you’ll have to come here!

    now I have a plan.

  13. I love So Yesterday. It is my favorite book of all time, and I wish that my whole state would read it! Gah! Then everyone would understand when I talk about the obscure facts that I have learned, instead of looking at me (mouths drooling in an unseemly fashion) saying “Huh?”
    Oooooh, New Jersey is so lucky.
    Now I’ll have to go read it again. For the seventh time.

  14. i havent yet read “So Yesterday” but im waiting for my bookstore to get it in!!! i wish that Delaware could do something cool like that, but i think its because were to small of a state?? That would be really awesome, but most of my friends are already reading all of your books, so yea its cool because we are alway talking in class about what happened and stuff. Its kind of like a little unaficual book club!! hehe so any way GREAT goob Scott and hope that every thing goes well with your new book!!
    xoxo alexa

  16. WOW! you are all up and famous now arent ya? i so happy for you. and thanka for calling me sophisticated, it makes me feel special!

  17. I loved So Yesterday! It was kinda fantasy like in its pyramid like structure, even though it isn’t really fantasy like. Oh, and whoever said that teens are becoming more sophisticated would die at my school. Today, someone asked me what disallusionment meant. A week ago, somebody asked me what vegatation meant. A month ago, this girl asked what a lagoon was. I want to cry.

  18. SY is a pretty awesome book!
    The “teen readers are much cleverer these days, reading more and better books” caught me by surprise though. There aren’t a lot of people who read more “sophisticated” books that I know of..

  22. I hear you, Katerate. It IS better to read then not to read at all. Even if the books aren’t “sophisticated”.

    Like the books I read. Sophisticated should be my middle name.

    Okay, or not.

    And Capt. isn’t lieing when she says she’s read So Yesterday seven times (though it is probably more like nine).

    -Topaz

    Oh, and P.S.: Peepgirl, some people are just confused…about words like “lagoon”. Huh. Okay, I guess that is a little far. Most people at my school are avaragly-smart. Which is a plus. I guess.

    What am I talking about?

  23. Lol, Topaz. Averagely smart is..a good estimate. But, we’ve got a lot of super smart geeks there too, and I think they make up for the averagely smart people (no offense to them).
    Lol yeah, what are you talking about?

  24. Why isn’t your site a ‘realated link’? Your the author! Aren’t you the most related to the book?

  25. well i used to be one of those average poeple… sad to say tho!! but its not that their stupid its just that they havent found a good “sophisticated” book yet?! because i used to be kind of like that… what can i say, im a blonde!!! hehe but any way some people need books to open their eyes. and abandonedwings some of the people at our school do sound kind of stupid if they dont now what a “lagoon” is. hehe but thats why they go to school to get a good education, so they dont end up on the streat asking what a “lagoon” is.
    xoxo alexa

  26. i know this is really random, but i have a question about the book. that part about teh story that hunters dad told him about the people in the factory who all got sick and though they hd some bug infestation or something, but it was really all just in their minds or whatever. is it true, because i looked it up online, andi can’t find it anywhere and that kind stuff bugs me to know end. i like have to know if it acctualy happened or not. just a question though. and cool about te new jersey thing i was bron in new jersey.

  27. oh yes and one more really random thing, but on the midnights page thing with all the thirteen letter words that are al lined up and stuff dependability is spelt wrong on the page it is spelt like dependability see it’s an a not an i. sorry if i sound like retard just wanted to point it out

  28. hey peepgrrl i just want you to know that is nothing compaired to my school ,about half of my grade don’t know what the words superior and inferior mean not to meantion any word thats not whatever cool. almost

  30. That’s so skate! Congrats Scott. Good luck in Jersey.

    Hehe, never thought I’d be called intelligent just because I read. I mean, I don’t read to become smart. I just read because it’s so much better than TV.

  32. as for the sophisticated reading part..
    i GUESS we’re “sophisticated” it depends on what u mean by “sophisticated”.
    If it’s: OH! THEY READ A LOT!
    Yes. that’s true…somewhat.
    If it’s: They read such CLASSICS!
    er..no. I read Hamlet. (and enjoyed it) but that’s me. My friends- Shakespeare? Why Shakespeare? *goes read manga*

    I have recently noticed that manga is on the rampage among my friends recently.. (not that I’m NOT included in this rampage, i’m the one that started it…xD) More and more of them are reading manga rather than novels.
    Now, there’s a thought. Hm.

  33. I’m seeing fewer and fewer novels..
    T_T
    i’m hoping that they will start reading novels again when Extras comes out.

  34. xD
    huh. u as hunter? xD
    I guess she’s somewhat right.
    As for the seventeen year old thing, i’m not so sure.
    By the way, while i was in NY, flashes of ur novels (whether Peeps, Last Days, or So Yesterday) kept showing up in my mind…
    they made the experience WAY cooler.

  37. Congrats scott. I havnt read So Yesterday yet, but I will get around to it. And i am sure it is great like the rest of your books!

  42. See, Scott. Need to come to Philly. Besides, then that person who lives in Delaware can come.
    I don’t know how to nominate a book for Pennsylvania One Book (do we even have one? *sigh* probably not) But I’ll try to if it will make you come…
    My school library is ordering So Yesterday on my request and more copies of Uglies (not enough to go around) & are wondering when Extras will be available for pre-order….

  44. so yesterday is life 🙂 after reading that i started reading uglies and i looove it.. not finished yet though.

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