Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover is a regular feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which I pay tribute to some of the best and brightest the publishing world has to offer in the way of book cover design. This feature is inspired by Katie’s feature Cover Love on her blog One Page At A Time. The idea is being used with her gracious permission.
Conventional wisdom would have us believe we should never judge a book by its cover, and while aesthetics should never be the sole component in determining a book’s worth, it would be disingenuous to suggest that cover design does not play a pivotal role in a book’s initial success. A book cover is one of the earliest introductions a reader is given to the story contained within its pages, and can help differentiate it from the thousands of other titles on the shelves. Given that I spend much of my year celebrating book cover design in its many shapes, forms and iterations, I thought it might be fun to compose a list of what I thought were some of the most effective, eye-catching and beautiful examples of book cover design for young adult novels in 2016. I’ve done my best to provide credit for the cover designers, illustrators and artists responsible for the work below whenever possible, but please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes or there’s anyone I’ve forgotten to include. The covers below are listed in no particular order.
01. Frannie and Tru by Karen Hattrup
Design by Ray Shappell
02. Exit, Pursued By A Bear by E.K. Johnston
Design by Kristin Logsdon
03. Iron Cast by Destiny Soria
Design by Alyssa Nassner, Art by Sam Wolfe Connelly
04. A Tyranny Of Petticoats by by Jessica Spotswood (Editor)
Design by James Weinberg
05. Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman
Design by Michelle Taormina, Art by Sean Freeman
06. Girl In The Shadows by Gwenda Bond
Design by M. S. Corley
07. The Graces by Laure Eve
Design by Maria T. Middleton, Art by Spencer Charles
08. A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Design by Katie Fitch, Art by Dan Funderburgh
09. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
Design by Elaine C. Damasco, Art by Dominique Falla
10. Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff
Jacket photo by Julia Presslauer, Jacket typography by Brian Levy
11. A Fierce And Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry
Design by Allison Colpoys
12. After The Woods by Kim Savage
Design by Elizabeth H. Clark
13. Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
Design by Kristin Smith, Art by Lisa Perrin
14. With Malice by Eileen Cook
15. Reign Of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
Design by Michelle Taormina
16. The Art Of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander
17. Into White by Randi Pink
Design by April Ward
18. Beast by Brie Spangler
Design by Leo Nickolls
19. Of Fire And Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
Design by Michelle Taormina
20. Rebel Of The Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Design by Will Steele
Now it’s YOUR turn! What book covers did you think were particularly lovely this year? Let me know in the comments – I would love to hear from you!
One Response
There are so many beautiful covers from this year! Love the Frannie and Tru one the best.
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Krystianna recently posted…Baby It’s Cold Outside Readathon | Day 2