I've collected some links for covers that caught my eye and I thought you might find them interesting as well. It's not that we should ever judge a book by the cover of course - but it's nice to see some designers break from tradition and give us books that are hard to ignore. To wit:

MARE'S WAR by Tanita Davis had a nice vintage cover when it first came out but the upcoming trade paperback has really gone in a radical and striking direction. The helmet is a nod to the WWII story but the lipstick is all attitude which is what this story has - big time. I thought it was excellent historic fiction (framed through modern characters) and I'm sure this new cover will bring it many more readers who won't be able to resist picking it up.

HURRICANE DANCERS by Margarita Engle is, literally, the story of the first Caribbean shipwreck. Engle is an excellent writer and while her past covers have been unique, this one really reaches out to readers. It's beautiful and promises adventure - pitch perfect for the story she's telling.

A NATION'S HOPE: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena (illus by Kadir Nelson). The combination of de la Pena, Nelson and Louis pretty much had me on this one even before I saw the cover but the image of Joe Louis literally jumping out at the reader on that bold red background is just awesome. I like the implied action and the simplicity and the outsized font for the word "HOPE". I requested this one because I grew up on boxing and remain avidly interested in the sport's history, but it never materialized. (Penguin fell off a cliff for me requesting-wise sometime last fall.) I'll hunt it down in the library at some point.

DEADLY by Julie Chibbaro is due out next month and includes a turn-of-the-century NYC setting, the spread of typhoid fever and a teenage girl who is determined to prove if "Typhoid Mary" is really the center of the epidemic or an innocent bystander. I am very excited about this one for a dozen different reasons anyway but man, that cover really sells it, doesn't it? Rich yellow background (who expected that?) and silhouette and don't miss the bacteria skittering across her dress. Gorgeous design - this one needs to win an award.

The most straightforward of the titles I've listed here, LEWIS & CLARK by Nick Bertozzi is a gn due out from First Second (love them). I love how they've captured the action and adventure of the expedition here, something that gets lost alot when studying early 19th century history. I never thought of them as the bold explorers they were when I learned about them in school; I think this will be great for students and especially reluctant teen readers. (I'm a big Bertozzi fan and certainly looking forward to reading it.)

And finally, if SAFARI AS A WAY OF LIFE doesn't leap off the shelf and into the hands of jaded teens everywhere, then I don't know what will. I have been a fan of Dan Eldon ever since I read about him more than ten years ago in a magazine and still mourn what the world lost when he was killed on the front line in Somalia working for REUTERS. I expect nothing less than a cover like this from Chronicle and can't wait to see what they've done here. (It has previously unpublished work.)