Am I missing something?
My paperback copy of Jerry Spinelli‘s Smiles to Go (Joanna Cotler 2008) came today. See below – hardcover’s on the left, paperback on the right:
So… why? It’s not that I think the hardcover is spectacular or anything. I’m just not thinking this plain blue cover is going to grab anyone, let alone a teen. They’re both HarperCollins, so I don’t think it’s a matter of rights. I can’t even imagine the discussion behind this switch…
Smiles to Go: Will Tuppence’s life has always been ruled by science and common sense but in ninth grade, shaken up by the discovery that protons decay, he begins to see the entire world differently and gains new perspective on his relationships with his little sister and two closest friends. Ages 10+. Reviews 1, 2, 3, 4.
October 22, 2009 at 10:30 pm
seems to me the paperback cover wants to trade on the stargirl cover design. looking at it and seeing the author’s name, i can’t but think of stargirl
October 22, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Ah, yes. I see what you mean… If that’s what they were trying to do, they missed somehow. Stargirl cover is good, even though it’s simple.
October 22, 2009 at 11:42 pm
And Hoot.
October 24, 2009 at 12:45 am
This blue one seems more masculine and streamlined, like most skateboarding shirts and logos.
October 24, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Keri beat me to it, but I was going to say that it immediately screams Stargirl, and that’s probably what they want people to think.
October 27, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Gotta say it, I like the blue cover better. The smiley face looks…weird to me. A bit pretentious. The simplicity of the blue is way more approachable in my view.
November 9, 2009 at 7:57 am
The problem with this book is that it has a skateboard on the cover and doesn’t have enough about skateboarding in it!