Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Cute and Creepy: More middle-grade covers

Animals, gorgeous, gruesome, or cute. Spectacular images. Interesting typefaces, sometimes neon
green.

Cover designers, sly bootses all, have an arsenal of tricks to catch our attention.  And if all else fails, you can’t beat a good dragon.
   
Herewith, day two of our spring middle-grade fantasy cover extravaganza. These books have pub dates between January and June 2013. “Middle grade,” again, means the audience is somewhere between ages eight and fourteen.  We’ll show you young-adult covers April 8 and 9.

As always, if there’s one we’ve missed, please link to it in a comment.

Click on "read more" to see the covers. And tell us your favorite!


Animals both goofy and grim,





Animals dressed like hers and hims.




Some of the critters are almost us,




But dragons can be a teeny bit brusque.






(Except when they’re adorable)




Come to the light!



But beware of that edifice,






And what hides in those trees 
could give you tetanus.



Images elegant, gorgeous, and eerie. . .







Cartoons that make the ghoulish cheery . . .






Typefaces chaste and bacchanalian  . . .





And if it’s green it must be alien.



***

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.


9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Again, hard to choose a favorite. I have to admit I'm fond of the South Pole Pig and the question-mark tail (even though I'm not drawn to animal stories usually). And I love the intense diagonals on City of Death.

    But then look at The Apprentices, and Doll Bones (brrr...). Too many choices!

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  3. So many great covers - I can't begin to decide which I want to read first! Thanks for a great couple of posts, Ellen!

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  4. Once again you have selected some wonderful covers, can't decide but thank you for compiling them all.

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  5. it's like looking in a candy store window! So many delicious titles - btw my 12 year says the clarinet player is playing it wrong - oh for such insight ;).
    Thanks for another great post Ellen!

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  6. All such great covers. I love middle grade covers! They are always so interesting!

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  7. Since you've got *spring* covers I can't resist posting this one. (Don't know how to post the cover itself):

    http://www.amazon.com/When-Butterflies-Kimberley-Griffiths-Little/dp/0545425131/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2

    Thanks for a great list, Ellen!

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  8. How'd I miss that one? I thought I looked at all the Scholastic covers. Thanks so much for posting the link--what a wonderful cover! (And, as you say, perfect for spring.)

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  9. Book covers are very important. They stimulate the reader's interest and curiosity. I'm pretty sure these books have already sold many copies merely because of the attractive covers. Well, if I have to choose among these, I'll buy the School of Good and Evil and the Infinity Ring. They're the most interesting. :)

    Shelley @ YallTwins.com

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