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As a school librarian, few things bum me out more than when a great book is passed over because of an unappealing cover. It’s unfortunate is what it is. In these pages, I’ve brought a few of these good book/bad cover cases up for discussion in the past:
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12.
I don’t delight in the fact that the most recent addition to these ranks is a Newbery honor recipient, but so it is:
A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond.
With this one, I speak from experience. I tried for weeks to stir up a bit of interest in this title at my school library. I began with the simple act of placing it cover out on the shelf. There it sat. Then I stepped things up by moving it to the Recommended table at the entrance. No luck. I’ll keep trying.
Related aside: is it just me, or does part of this cover resemble a past Unfortunate Cover recipient? Which one was it? Oh yeah:
Am I imagining things here?
100 Scope Notes 