I Always Judge a Book by Its Cover

The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky. The artwork here is gorgeous. YA titles often have dazzling cover designs, but rarely through illustration, as is the case with this novel. The most stunning part of the cover is of course the dress, which is awash in sparkles, texture, and bounce. It is so grand that it seems to be wearing the girl, rather than the girl wearing it. The girl herself is clearly depicted as illustration, but it works terrifically with the dress and the background of subtle creams and pink baubles. The typography within the dress is fun, feminine, and fitting for such an interesting title. The black of the font does well to remind us of the other black accents, like the girl’s hair and stockings. This is a marvelous design that perfectly eludes to a girl’s journey through time and fashion.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

Deadly by Julie Chibbaro. I seem to be attracted to silhouettes lately, and this design is no exception. What first catches my eye about this cover is the jarring yellow background and the mix of yellow accents. Yellow doesn’t exactly scream “deadly,” but that adds to the intrigue of the design. I don’t think I would have chosen orange-red for the title color, but it certainly draws attention. I especially enjoy the detailed silhouette of a young woman from the early 1900s—the dress and the hairstyle immediately tell us that this is a historical novel. Finally, the spindly, cell-like images whirling around the black silhouette are a bit bizarre, but once viewers are aware that this tale surrounds Typhoid Mary, they make perfect, if not a bit grotesque, sense.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+