I got an early copy of Mary Hanlon Stone's Invisible Girl, and by the time the final copy was ready, the cover had completely changed! Intriguing. I had to ask Mary what she thought.First, something from the back cover of the book, which is beautifully written. Meet Stephanie, a girl from Boston who's abandoned by her mother and sent to live with a family in Beverly Hills:
Everyone's been asking me questions about my life in Boston. I'm unaccustomed to this much attention, but I've already learned from watching Eva talk about her math and science award that I should appear reluctant to discuss myself. So at first I protest that nothing I do is very interesting, and then I spit out a string of lies, one at a time, like a rainbow of glass beads. Once the lies are out, they grow arms and legs and silent, stoic faces that guard my secrets of unwashed hair, stale snacks from greasy boxes and cold walks home from school in shoes that have long been too tight. The lies surround me with their golden shields and ice-tipped spears, letting no one look in and see my motherless life.
So lovely! Now, here's Mary on the cover:
"I never even thought about the cover as I was writing. I was just living in Stephanie's world! By the time the decisions for the cover were made, I was deep into writing the first draft of the book that's coming out next Spring, The Comedown Life.
"The first time I saw the first cover I thought, Wow, they really captured how Stephanie tried to be invisible while at the same time being out in public. I really liked it, but I have to admit, when I saw the new cover, I liked it even more because it still had the element of invisibility but also added the lightness and hopeful element upon which the book ends.
"I don't know if the cover is a stock photo or from a shoot, but a lot of the kids who have seen both covers are dying to know who the invisible girl is!
"I really love my cover. It has a sense of mystery about it that is misted with hopefulness and longing. It is very much like Stephanie herself."
Thanks, Mary! I do like the mystery in both covers. The second and final cover definitely has a breezy, summery feel that captures the protagonist's new world -- it almost makes me think the girl on that cover isn't the main character at all, but someone she meets in LA. Though her protective stance -- legs up, arms crossed -- says a lot and seems to be in line with how Stephanie feels. The first cover seems to focus on the darker side of the story, and it actually reminds me of the hardcover for Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde (left), which is a Lookalike cover with some other books (thanks, Alea!). What do you guys think of this cover change?
PS-Here's the trailer:
invisible girl