Monday, August 20, 2012

Danger! Middle Grade covers, Fall 2012

The colors could knock your socks off--especially the reds. People fly, fall, and fight off baddies. Sometimes they're ghosts. Sometimes they're puppets.

Where DO cover designers get their ideas?

Once again, there are so many gorgeous new covers that we're posting them over two days. Today's focus is on the graphic solutions designers chose to highlight their books' tone, plots and themes. Is the book funny? Hopeful? Scary? Complex? The design says it all. Tomorrow we'll look at critters and characters highlighted on fall MG covers.

These covers hit the shelves between July 1 and December 31. If we missed one, tell us about it in the comments, with a link if possible.

I have to say, I'm taken this time with the towering-over-or-falling-on-us theme. Danger obviously is imminent--how can you not grab these books and read all about it?

You can see the covers are after the break. Which are your favorites?



 A frame makes things nice and safe







Or . . . not




It's all about gorgeous atmosphere







  No, no, no, it's all about weird light








Or maybe just a light bulb


Or a bolt from the blue




Sometimes the font says it all






Ever notice that red rhymes with dread?






Or undead. Also, Ed.




Silhouettes are golden




The eyes! The eyes!


Do you sense something, I dunno . . . looming?


 

 Like, really tall or falling on us from the sky?





Oh, never mind. Here's a nice, jolly cartoon



 



***

Ellen Booraem is the author of THE UNNAMEABLES, SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS, and the upcoming TEXTING THE UNDERWORLD (August 2013). She lives in Downeast Maine with an artist, a dog, and a cat, one of whom is a practicing curmudgeon. She's online at www.ellenbooraem.com.



13 comments:

  1. Like Mike Jung, I'm totally thrilled to see my cool red Crimson Shard cover here among such a great array of covers. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is so cool to see all of the covers. It makes me wonder if they were all lined up together, which one I'd have to pick up first...just to see, you know? What a fabulous Fall!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So many great covers. It's good to see so many middle grade ones. So much of the focus is on YA and there's some great MG books.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A lot of beautiful covers and I was so excited to see my upcoming debut up there! Thank you for including me in such brilliant company.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Actually, MIke, that might be an exaggeration. I'm pretty fond of life, come to think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, I can't argue with that, Ellen. Life with no cover, death with a great cover...ALTHOUGH IT'D BE TOTALLY UNFAIR TO MAKE ME CHOOSE, AAAHH

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful to see these! So many good books coming our way...

    ReplyDelete
  8. You said it, Cinda. And as I keep saying, Mike, I love that red-spotted robot more than life itself!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Blessed are the cover designers who make our books look like a feast!

    ReplyDelete
  10. MY COVER IS ON THE ENCHANTED INKPOT!!! Excuse me, I'm having an emotional moment here...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Much awesomeness. These cover designers are brilliant. I just have to pick some of these up and read.
    Thanks Ellen.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's amazing to see the cover trends. Thanks so much for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  13. So many gorgeous covers! I can't wait to dive in and read. Ellen, you're so brilliant at grouping these. It must take AGES but these cover posts are definitely some of my favourite of all our Inkiie posts!

    ReplyDelete

Have your say...