What’s Up With the Title?

In Please Ignore Vera Dietz, Vera Dietz doesn't want to be noticed. In fact, it's the last thing that she wants, which is why she's particularly irked when the dead Charlies show up and start demanding that she clear Charlie's name.

Vera's also constantly picked on by the Detentionheads—led by Jenny Flick—because they don't like that she used to be Charlie's best friend. They mock her and make jokes about how her mother used to be a stripper, and understandably, Vera would rather fly under the radar than be an endless target for bullying and derision.

Throughout the book, Vera is trying to be ignored—and to ignore the fact that Charlie needs her to go to the police for him. But in the end, she realizes that being ignored is overrated; she goes to the police and even tapes a sign to her back to show the world that she doesn't care about what they say:

An hour later, when we're both done packing an overnight bag, I make a sign on a large index card and ask Dad to tape it to my back. It says: Ex-Stripper's Daughter. (5.13.69)

In the end, Vera learns how to let go. People can ignore her or they can notice her. It doesn't faze her any longer because she's too busy living life.