Cover Art - Coincidence?

While perusing my Goodreads account, I went to visit my "medical issues" bookshelf.  (I have various shelves that describe themes/topics addressed in the book.)  I couldn't help but notice something:

All of these books - the most recent 20 books that I put on this shelf all have covers that contain lots of blue and/or green.  I wonder if there's something about this color that publishers associate with this theme, or if this is all just a striking coincidence.

Thoughts?

Gendered Book Covers

Today I came across a story on The Huffington Post about a tweet that YA author Maureen Johnson made last Monday (5/6/13).  Her tweet reads as follows:

"I do wish I had a dime for every email I get that says, 'Please put a non-girly cover on your book so I can read it. - signed, A Guy'"

Johnson then went on to challenge her followers to redesign book covers as if the book had been written by an author of the opposite gender.  She's gotten TONS of great responses, and The Huffington Post included a slideshow of a few of their favorites with the article.  Take a look!

It really is incredible how gender-specific so many book covers are.  It's too bad, really, because even though a book might have excellent content that is attractive to both boys and girls, there are lots of readers out there who might get turned off of a book before they even open it because the cover does not appeal to their sensibilities.  

On a related note, this article (found on page 32 of the April 2013 issue of VOYA - link takes you to a digital copy of the April issue) also discusses the inherent gender biases that come with book.  The author of the article argues that librarians need to try not to categorize books as "boy books" and "girl books" because despite the gender of the author, the gender of the main characters, or the appearance of the cover, the content of most books will appeal equally to both boys and girls. 

Diversity in Teen Lit

Who are the heroes in Young Adult literature? I've stumbled upon two very interesting articles that really get into which teens are represented and - perhaps more importantly - which ones are not in recent YA titles.

This article, compiled by blogger Tiana Smith, talks about the physical descriptions of female protagonists in 50 of the hottest teen novels from this year. Apparently the old adage used to describe heroines in medieval fairy tales is still true as blonde = beautiful. Most characters, however, are brunettes described as "ordinary" or "almost beautiful."

This blog post by Kate Hart looks at the covers of YA books from 2011 and breaks down what is featured there. It's a pretty extensive study as she looks at race, gender, colors, and other items in great detail. Apparently publishers think that white girls in pretty dresses sell books.

This whole issue which kinds of characters are presented in teen books is worth considering. Are we doing teens a disservice by not featuring more diversity in our books? Are girls in pretty dresses affecting teen self esteem in the same way that beauty magazines can? It's food for thought.

New Teen Arrivals

Things have been a bit hectic around here lately, both in Library Land as well as in my personal life. Fortunately, nothing soothes the soul quite like a box of brand new books. Here are just a few titles for teens that arrived at the library recently that I'd love to get my hands on:

Black Heart by Holly Black
The third book in Black's Curse Workers series is going to be a surefire hit. Fantasy meets the mafia as poor Cassel tries to figure out how to balance the curse-working life he was born into with the life he really wants. My only complaint - Once again, Holly Black's publishers have decided to completely change the style of the book covers, so none of the three books in this series look even remotely alike.

Chomp by Cark Hiassen
If Hiassen's previous books and the name of the central character (Wahoo Cray) are any indication, this latest middle-grade environmental adventure should be awesome. Wahoo's father is an animal wrangler working on location in the Everglades for a TV show called "Expedition Survival." Then the show's boneheaded star goes missing.

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 1 by Kazue Kato
I picked up the first three volumes in this highly-rated manga series for the library and I'm excited to give it a try. When his foster father is killed, Rin vows to defeat the demon lord Satan and enrolls in the True Cross Academy to train as an exorcist. And oh yeah, Satan is Rin's real father, and he must struggle to keep his true bloodline a secret.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Divergent was one of the most talked-about books of last year, and the sequel comes highly anticipated as well. I'm looking forward to lots of action and hopefully a few answers to my questions from the last book.

Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin
Kelsey has big plans for her life now that's she's starting high school. Unfortunately, the rest of the world doesn't seem to be in on this. It sounds like your basic, "wow, I'm in high school now!" story. But for some reason I'm very eager to read this one. I blame the attractive cover.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

Dit is a young boy who often feels a bit overshadowed by his large family. So when he hears that his town's new postmaster has a son just his age, Dit is very excited to have a friend to spend time with. Unfortunately things don't turn out quite as expected - When the postmaster arrives Dit discovers that not only is the boy who was supposed to be his friend a girl named Emma, but the family is colored. And in 1917 in the deep South of Alabama, this is a huge deal.

But as Dit gets to know Emma, he begins to realize that even though things aren't turning out quite as he planned they can still be great. Emma isn't very good at fishing and hates the idea of Dit hunting, but she can tell a great story. And maybe she isn't used to getting dirty or playing baseball, but she's willing to try. It turns out that Emma is actually a great friend, and she and Dit become unlikely companions for the summer. But when school begins in the fall, the two of them encounter prejudice for their friendship as they are forced to attend different schools and are teased by other children who Dit had considered friends. Once, Dit would not have questioned what these people are doing and would have even joined right in. But now that the teasing involves him and his friend, he begins to appreciate what it means to treat his fellow man with respect no matter who they are. But racism in Moundville doesn't happen to just these two children, and Dit and Emma soon become involved in a bloody conflict between the town's sheriff and its black barber. Can the two of them see that justice is done despite the town's prejudices?

This is yet another great first novel by newcomer Kristin Levine. She has crafted a touching novel that deals not only with racism in a manner that is easily accessible to children, but also with what it means to be a friend in an even more general sense. The story is somewhat episodic in nature, but many of the individual episodes build off of each other as the novel progresses. Somewhat similar in style to Richard Peck's much beloved books (A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Yonder, etc.) The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had is an easy story to fall in to for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, tales of friendship, or multicultural tales. I'd definitely recommend this book to just about anyone - it'll find a place in your heart.

My one complaint as a librarian: The cover of this book isn't exactly kid-friendly. I have trouble imagining an 11-year-old being instantly drawn to it and I fear that the book will therefore be passed up, which is a shame considering the book's amazing quality. However, this is an easy one for me to booktalk and "sell" to kids, parents, and teachers vocally. Here's hoping that this extra effort will get the book into enough hands.

Overall Grade: A+

Gail Carson Levine - Ever, and Cover Art

Gail Carson Levine has yet another story to add to her already-charming collection of tales. Ever tells the story of Olus, the god of the winds in Akka; and Kezi, a mortal from nearby Hyte who loves dancing and weaving rugs, and must become a human sacrifice to fulfill her father's oath. Despite Kezi's looming death the two fall in love and must undergo a series of quests so that Kezi can become immortal. Questions about the religion and faith are raised throughout the narrative and no answers are given, leaving the reader to explore these issues for themselves.

Ever is a bit different from Ella Enchanted and Fairest - while the story has the same feel as these other fractured fairy tales, this is a tale from Levine's own imagination. Ever also contains unique narration as Kezi and Olus take turns telling the story.

Overall Grade: A-



I do have a question for other Gail Carson Levine fans: What do you think of her books' cover art? Personally, I think that it is aesthetically beautiful. However, I usually have a very hard time picturing the girls modeling as the books' heroines as the characters they are supposed to present. For example, I think that "Ella" looks about four years younger on the cover of Ella Enchanted than the 16 that she is for most of the book. I also think that "Kezi" looks a bit too solid and sure of herself on Ever's cover - not fluid like a dancer, or with the uncertainty of someone going through a religious crisis. What do you think? Do you like the covers? Why or why not? Do they affect the way you read the books?

Do you judge books by their covers?