Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover–Issue Fifty-Two: Middle Grade (Part 9)

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.

I think we’re all familiar with the age-old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. And you know what I have to say about that? Rubbish! Covers are an invaluable part of a book’s package. A truly great cover can tell you a lot about the novel contained within its pages. Book covers can also catch your attention and attract you to a novel you might otherwise ignore. So go ahead, judge a book by its cover – We all do it!

While I always welcome the opportunity to celebrate a variety of genres and artistic styles in each week’s edition of Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover, there are no posts that bring me greater joy than those focused on middle grade novels. Their use of colour, movement, and illustration is second-to-none and will always hold a very special place in my heart. Some of my favourite covers this week include The Sweetest Heist In History by Octavia Spencer, Some Kind Of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart, Crisis Zero by Chris Rylander, Saving Wonder by Mary Knight, My Name Is Not Friday by Jon Walter, The Last Boy At St. Edith’s by Lee Gjertsen Malone, The Turn Of The Tide by Rosanne Parry, A Week Without Tuesday by Angelica Banks, The Journey Home by Brandon Wallace, My Life With The Liars by Caela Carter and Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly.

Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs ● Poppy Pym and The Pharaoh’s Curse by Laura Wood ● The Sweetest Heist In History by Octavia Spencer

Some Kind Of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart ● Crisis Zero by Chris Rylander ● The Inn Between by Marina Cohen

The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel ● Saving Wonder by Mary Knight ● My Name Is Not Friday by Jon Walter

Bounders by Monica Tesler ● The Last Boy At St. Edith’s by Lee Gjertsen Malone ● The Turn Of The Tide by Rosanne Parry

Josh Baxter Levels Up by Gavin Brown ● A Week Without Tuesday by Angelica Banks ● The Journey Home by Brandon Wallace

Behind The Canvas by Alexander Vance ● The Treasure Of Way Down Deep by Ruth White ● My Life With The Liars by Caela Carter

Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly ● The Circle Of Lies by Crystal Velasquez ● Maybe A Fox by Kathi Appelt & Alison McGhee

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your favourite middle grade covers? Did I list one of your favourites here or is there one I forgot that just has to be included? Let me know in the comments!