The New USA                               The UK

I’m cheating slightly this week because the UK cover is very similar to the old USA cover. The frog is in a different position and the font is a lot cuter, but it’s more or less the same.  I’ve been dying to talk about these new covers though, so go with me.

The Ruby Oliver books hold a special place in my heart. After Twilight they were the first YA books I read and they hooked me on YA. I adore E. Lockhart’s writing. It’s so funny, it’s deceptively simple and she coveys so much of what’s going on underneath with just a single line rather than epic internal monologues.  Basically I want to grow up to write like E.

Anyway the covers.

It was the cover of The Boyfriend List that made me pick it out from all the YA titles on display. That frog was just so damn cute.  The covers kept getting better too. Book two The Boy Book had a penguin (my favourite animal) and book three The Treasure Map of Boys had a marshmallow snowman.  Does it get much better than a marshmallow snowman? Wouldn’t you die of happiness if that was your cover?

But the frog, penguin and snowman have gone.

They’ve been replaced by a very pretty girl (very irritating in the middle of a series). The new covers are lovely and I do like them. They also match well with the paperback version of E. Lockhart’s other book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

But

that first day in the bookstore I wouldn’t have picked them up.

And

I just don’t think they capture the spirit of the books as well. That funny, quirkiness that I love about Ruby and her family.

Plus

I always imagined Ruby to look like a better dressed version of Velma from Scooby Doo. The smart, funny girl, whose always the best friend. Except in Ruby’s case she totally got the guy (or guys). The girl on the cover though, is totally a Daphne.

What do you think? Which do you prefer?