Gosh, I love Middle Grade Covers…

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…much more than YA covers, I have to say. I agree with the people out there–the ones who say the trend of a girl in a dress (::coughmycovercough::) is misleading. Plus, what with the frequent whitewashing on YA covers, there’s just no way to know what you’re really buying. You pick up  a book because it looks like a paranormal romance or a high fantasy or a fluffy contemporary…but then the book isn’t that at all. Or quite the opposite, you avoid a book because it looks like a horror or a paranormal or a sic-fi, but then you wind up missing a book you would have loved.

How can we know what story is inside if we don’t have at least a slightly accurate portrayal of that story on the cover? I know I am guilty of assuming the cover represents what’s inside–without even reading the blurb on the back! I do this every time I go to a bookstore or browse online or wander through the library. It’s just human nature, I fear.

Sadly, though, I don’t see YA covers moving in any other direction. Photography is still the primary medium, and more often than not, it’s a photograph of a girl. That’s life; that’s what must be working to sell the books; I bow to the marketing and design teams who know WAY more than me (because, quite frankly, they do know way more than me).

But then I meander into the MG section of my bookstore, and…swoooooooon. The MG covers–oh my. The art! The fantasy! The potential for imagination! The clear depiction of what’s behind the cover!

I am, quite simply, in love.

Why, just look at these beauties. You know exactly what you’re getting when you pick up the book. In fact, let’s play a little game. I’ll give you what I think would be behind these stunning covers…then you have to click them to see if my predictions (and YOUR predictions) match the books’ summaries.

Swashbuckling adventure in a flooded London…isn’t that what you’d predict?

Old museum nooks, creepy museum stuff, and a whole lot of mystery–that’s what I see on this cover.

Science fiction fun and some great alien companions (and enemies) look to be in this book.

A strong, spunky heroine looks like she has some crazy task on her shoulders in an even crazier castle…

Adventure! Uneven odds! Fantasy worlds! MAGIC! That’s what I see on this cover.

Thrilling chases, mysteries, and a two really tough kids against uneven odds.

Now you tell me: Could you predict any of these stories based on the cover? Did any entice you to read?

♥