Make a Fist

Two new books feature fists. Cecil Castellucci’s Beige (Candlewick 2007) and Kate Wild’s Fight Game (Scholastic 2007). Both designers opted to show the title in letters written on the hands.

Beige: Katy, a quiet French Canadian teenager, reluctantly leaves Montreal to spend time with her estranged father, an aging Los Angeles punk rock legend. (Age 14+)
Fight Game: Fifteen-year-old Freedom Smith is a fighter, just like all of his relatives who have the “Hercules gene,” which leads him to a choice between being jailed for attempted murder or working with a covert law enforcement agency to break up a mysterious, illegal fight ring. (Ages 9-12)

The fist coming out at the viewer makes an impact. You want to know who the fist is aimed at and why. Does the fist truly represent the story within?