We all know that we’re not supposed to judge proverbial books by their covers. But actual books are a different story. (Some puns intended.) Warm Easter-egg pastels and round fonts let us know “chick lit ahead”; whereas black covers with red letters tell us “suspense.” And no small part of the cult of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was that neon yellow cover. You couldn’t mistake that book for anything else, and it showed up like fireflies in a crowd. I catalog the Young Adult books here at Cedar Mill Library and one of my favorite parts of my job is getting to look at every new book and checking out all the covers. Here are a just a few of the ones that got my attention recently.
Various Positions by Martha Schabas. A dramatic coming-of-age story set in an elite Toronto ballet academy. This ballerina catches the eye immediately, and it requires a second glance to know entirely what it is you’re looking at. I love the inky black of the tulle against the stark white.
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. This clever double image is bold and creepy, like the update on the Hansel and Gretel story it contains.
Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando. I put a hold on this one im
mediately after I cataloged it. I enjoyed the twist on the old, “girl meets boy, boy belongs to strange/ taboo subculture, girl gains acceptance and gets the boy” plot. This time, instead of vampires or demon-hunters, the subculture is circus freaks. The cover image of a girl in a mermaid costume in front of an amusement park wonderfully captures the spirit of the story and the author’s love for old Coney Island.
I have also noticed what may be shaping up to be a new trend in cover art—young women seemingly caught in sudden, dizzying, nearly impossible motion. Like the ballerina above, it requires a closer look to completely process what you are seeing. Which is exactly what a good cover does: pulls you in, makes you take an extra moment to consider.
Hourglass by Myra McEntire. A girl with the ability to manipulate time attempts to stop a 6-month-old murder.
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. Two years ago Chloe discovered the body of her classmate London floating in a reservoir. Now she has returned home to find London still alive, everyone acting as though nothing ever happened, and that maybe Chloe’s sister Ruby has something to do
with the secret resurrection.
These are just a few of the really great covers that are out there. I’m always keeping a list, so if you know of some good ones, make a comment below.
