Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Similar Covers: Balancing Acts

I’ve been collecting book covers that feature girls walking on fences (or something similar) for some time now, but only recently came across an exact match: Driftwood Summer by Patti Callahan Henry and No One You Know by Michelle Richmond. While I like the colours of the first cover better, I think it’s a shame that the author’s name sort of blends into the girl’s dress. I also don’t think the cover of No One You Know matches the book. (This is the only one of these books that I’ve read.)




The other books featured above are: Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt, The Moons of Jupiter by Alice Munro (see note below), The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline, Finding Alice by Melody Carson (see note below), The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters by Timothy Schaffert and Towns Without Rivers by Michael Parker. Of all of these covers (including the first two), my favourite is Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt—the colours are just so vibrant and I like the fact that the girl is facing us.

Have you spotted any other covers with girls walking on fences?

Edited to add:
It turns out that, as Claire at kiss a cloud pointed out, my favourite cover above has an exact lookalike too: The Moons of Jupiter by Alice Munro (which I just added to this post). Now I’m torn as to which of those two covers I like best!

Thank you to Mrs. Soule, who mentioned the Melody Carson book in the comments. For several other covers featuring the same girl, see Alea’s 100th lookalike post at Pop Culture Junkie.

25 comments:

  1. I wonder how the authors feel when there's another book with the same cover as theirs.

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  2. This one is not on a fence, but the legs and skirt made me think of the others you mentioned. :)

    http://www.amazon.com/Seek-Living-Novel-Ashley-Warlick/dp/0618711988/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254935106&sr=8-1

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  3. Oh! The Girls in Trouble cover is the exact same one on Alice Munro's collection of stories, Moons of Jupiter, published by Penguin Modern Classics Canada. See it here.

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  4. Kathy, I think I would be pretty dismayed if I were in their shoes!

    Missy, the cover you mentioned is one I actually featured before here. It has at least two other exact lookalikes!

    Claire, thank you so much! I've modified my post to include the cover you mentioned.

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  5. Another thing they all have in common is their appeal - each of these covers drew me in. If I was in a bookstore, I'd look at each of them. Lovely post!

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  6. I agree, Gwendolyn, they all appeal to me too, with the exception of the cover to No One You Know. As I mentioned in my post, that's in part because I don't think that cover works for that particular book, although I don't like the font they used for the title either.

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  7. Just how do you find these? There all pull me in :) Thanks 4 sharing them!

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  8. Wow! Talk about those balancing acts. That's a lot of books of girls walking on the edge of something on the covers. I think it's so cool that you are actually collecting them.

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  9. Yeah, how do you find these!! This is insane!! No wonder I think I've read this book and that book....wait, no it's just because the cover looks the same!! LOL

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  10. Your similar covers posts are one of my favorites out of all the blog posts I read!

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  11. That is so interesting! I'm going to have to keep a look out now :)

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  12. I love this!
    The Moons of Jupiter is hands down my favorite. I like the simplicity of it!

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  13. I love checking in on your similar cover posts. It is amazing to me that there are covers out there that are the exact same picture just cropped in a different way.

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  14. I love these posts - can't believe how many similar ones there are!

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  15. Again?!?! lol. I love these posts. =)

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  16. I'm just always amazed when you have a new post of these!!! I would never think of a bunch of covers with "girls balancing on fences." : )

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  17. I, too, am amzed at how many books share similare covers! And it isn't as if they are from vastly different genres. I wonder how the authors feel about seeing the cover to their book on a different book. I love the cover of Girl in Trouble, (and The Moons of Jupiter too!)your favorite the best for the vibrant colors.

    This is such an interesting post!

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  18. Can't think of any other walking on fence covers. This is a great collection though!

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  19. What I find most interesting is how the similar covers for "Girls in Trouble" and "The Moons of Jupiter", despite having an identical picture, send off completely different signals. Somehow, the changes in the lights, the fonts for the title and the overall format leads to identical yet dissimilar covers...

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  20. These are great finds! I don't think the cover of No One You Know fits the content either.

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  21. i love to look at simliar covers...and pick which one i like best. but i'm with kathy--i wonder how authors feel about this?

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  22. Diane and Staci, I'm sorry it took me so long to answer your questions! I trust you read the answer in last week's similar cover post.

    Thanks, Lilly and Dana!

    Let me know if you find any, Lynne!

    Kay, as I mentioned, Girls in Trouble was my favourite, but now the colours look a bit garish next to the cover for The Moons of Jupiter!

    Christine, Luanne and Linda Ellen, yay, I'm glad to hear you enjoy these posts!

    Jenners, I know, I was surprised to find so many girls balancing on fences!

    Amy, thank you!

    Ladytink, I'm sure there must be more out there!

    Anonymous Child, they do feel quite different, although I wonder if I'm not also influenced by the fact that one is a Penguin book (and therefore more "serious"?).

    Lenore, yeah, it's definitely the cover I like the least and the fact that it doesn't go with the book has something to do with it.

    Nat, I can only imagine that it kinda sucks!

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  23. The Way Life Should Be cover is the same picture as the cover of Finding Alice by Melody Carlson.

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  24. Thanks, Mrs. Soule, I've added it to my post. Note that there are at least three other covers that feature the same girl (see the link to the Pop Culture Junkie blog in my post).

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  25. here's another to add.
    The edge of winter
    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73669.The_Edge_of_Winter

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