Friday, August 17, 2012

Best Middle-Grade Covers of 2012!




Project Mayhem Team Member, Yahong Chi, posted on Wednesday about what draws us to a book. Of course I read the jacket flap, but what initially attracts my attention is a great cover. A striking cover can cause you to buy a book you'd normally not read and a weak cover can cause you to pass by a book you might go gaga over.

I'm a visual artist, as well as a writer, so maybe that has a little to do with my obsessive cover love, but I deem we all see fantastic book covers and immediately reach for certain books. 

Below are some of my favorite covers of 2012. You'll notice most of these covers are hues of blue and green. Hopefully red toned covers make a come back next year. I hope my publisher is reading this, because I love red! ;) Take a look at these brilliant covers below and then tell us about your favorites!!


What kid wouldn't go nuts over this cover of Artemis Fowl, The Last Guardian? It's hip, cool, and edgy, with the just the right amount of fantasy. GQ meets Harry Potter!


Next we have The Drowned Vault, Ashtown Burials II. This cover combines mystery with fantasy and creepiness, but at the same time using a dazzling blue color forcing your eyes to land on it. Definitely something I would pick up!

Here we have Caught, The Missing Book 5. Similar color scheme to the Artemis Foul cover, yet completely different feel. This gives a sense of mystery and fantasy, at the same time harking back to the past. It screams, "You better read me or you will soon regret it!"


I love the cover of The Last Dragonslayer because it's downright quirky and utterly unique.  You can tell right away this story is going to be far more than some medieval prince slaying a dragon! Yes, bring on the quirky! When it comes to new dragon books originality is key!



What can be said about this haunting cover of The One and Only Ivan? It's simple, yet so complex. Displayed on a stage, under a spotlight, you can tell Ivan (the gorilla) is hurting in some way, but you're unsure how. Even though he's a gorilla, you just want to give Ivan a hug and rescue him from whatever pain he's enduring.


I love covers like The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate. They are primitive in nature and entirely cool! What self-respecting nine-year-old wouldn't want to read it?




I adored the cover of A Tale Dark & Grimm and the companion book, In A Glass Grimmly, is no exception. Something about the shadowy silhouettes against the rich color is just a winning combo to behold!


Okay, so there are some of my top picks from 2012! How about you? What 2012 middle-grade books have you read or seen that dazzle you? Did you ever buy anything based on the cover? What would you like to see more of? Do you think sometimes publishers make mistakes in their cover selection? If you don't have a favorite 2012 cover, then tell us your favorite middle-grade cover of all time! 

Thanks all! Hilary

22 comments:

  1. Love them all!!!! And you introduced me to a few I never heard of, so I'm even more excited now :)

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    1. This has been a great year for middle-grade! There are so many more covers I wanted to post, but then the post would be ten feet long! ;)

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  2. Man. Those are some awesome covers! If I had to pick just one, I might go with The Last Dragonslayer or The Drowned Vault, but really, you couldn't go wrong with any of these.

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    1. I can't wait to read The Last Dragonslayer! Sounds like so much fun!

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  3. You have a great eye, Hilary! I'm just thrilled that Jasper Fforde has a kid's book out. He's one of my literary heroes (c.f. his Thursday Next series.) P.s I like red too.

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    2. Yeah, what's up with the lack of red this year? I know our own Marissa has a beautiful red cover! :)

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    3. Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series is BRILLIANT! He is DEFINITELY a hero for me, too, Michael! I actually love the original UK cover. And I am psyched for his kids' book, though Thursday Next books are totally awesome for older kids. As for artists, check out work by Steve Parke and Scott Fuqua. They have done beautiful books together and the art/cover art is always fab. Steve is the artist who is doing my Young Inventors Guild books (you've seen the art for The Atomic Weight of Secrets) and has had his work in the Baltimore Museum of Art.

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    4. Eden your cover is truly amazing! I'll have to look up Steve's work. I'm an artist at heart. :)

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  4. I love them as well. Covers for MG titles are a huge reason why I love the category. I love Jasper Ffordes (and agree with MGG's comment) but One And Only Ivan's gets me every time. Might be something to do with it being my favorite book this year so far ;).

    Great post ;)

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    1. I saw Katherine Applegate speak recently and her story behind the story is so touching. It really breaks your heart, but it does end happy! :)

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  5. Hilary, your selections are wonderful, and I really enjoyed your rationales for selecting each one. Aloha!

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    1. Aloha, Margo! I could have added 20 more to the group! :)

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  6. It's interesting how many silhouette books use a yellow background. I can think of three other MGs that do -- THE WATER SEEKER and CALPURNIA TATE as well as a couple of adult titles.

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    1. Hey, yours is kind of a silhouette too! No wonder why I liked it! Everyone, read May B.!!! ;)

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  7. Oooh, I love that last one! So many fabulous covers! I love how MG covers are so colorful and dramatically illustrated.

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    1. YA uses more real people than illustration, so I think MG illustrators have really taken covers to a whole new level! Yours is such a good example of that! Your cover for book II completely blows my mind! It is awesome!! :)

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  8. Awesome post. Love those covers. And I dare you to check out Matt Myklusch's SECRET WAR cover and not want to crack it open. It is awesome. No...eh-uhm...I haven't actually read the book yet, but that's because it is 560 pages and I have a 21 month old and a 3 and a half month old.

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    1. Yes, it is VERY cool! I've been seeing that everywhere!

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  9. I LOVE looking at covers -- great post idea, Hilary! A few of those titles are new to me, so that makes it doubly fun. I adore all the Fablehaven covers, and Henry Neff's Tapestry series covers. Among a bajillion others, of course! :)

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  10. I LOVE looking at covers -- great post idea, Hilary! A few of those titles are new to me, so that makes it doubly fun. I adore all the Fablehaven covers, and Henry Neff's Tapestry series covers. Among a bajillion others, of course! :)

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    1. Shannon, I love the Fablehaven covers!! The first book is my favorite! It says, "Pick me up and read me or I'll turn you into a toad!! " ;)

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!