Can't Judge a Book by its Cover (But do it anyway)

[[deleted user]]

When you saw the cover and description to this book-

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

(-Taken from Barnesandnobles.com)

What did you think? First Impressions are important-what did you first think of?

[J-Lynn Van Pelt]

In general, I don't like when they use real people on the covers of books. I think it limits the imagination's ability to craft a picture of the character from the author's description.

I think this is especially true with books that are written for teens. Having a real person on the cover may stop someone from buying the book because they don't think that the book represents them.

I have heard the YA author Sharon Draper talk about this because her Hazelwood High Trilogy has teens of all races as main characters, but she says the fact that there is an African American model on the cover reduces the chance that teens from other races will read it.

[Melissa]

I really like the description on the back. The concept is such a unique one that it drew me in.

The cover I like, too, because it makes the world Tally lives in look a little wild, and you can't QUITE tell what she looks like in full. I see J-Lynn's point about the real girls on the cover, but I didn't mind it in this case.

[Ms. Hicks]

TO be totally honest, I wouldn't have picked this up just from reading the back cover. I would have been drawn more to the book if there was something in it about the Smoke and if there was a little more about the Pretty operation...something to hint that the book isn't just about superficial beauty.

[Ashley]

When I first read the description, I thought it was gonna be some regular teen novel. But when I started reading the book, I realized that the setting was this futuristic place where people are literally seperated by the way they look. In other words I wasn't expecting it to be sci-fi.

[Sylvia]

The book caught my attention since it was on a new arrival book shelf, and I was curious about the face on the cover. When I read the description, I thought it would be an adventure kind of story. Same as Ashley, I didn't expect it as a sci-fi book. But I love it, and found myself looking for the sequel as soon as I finished uglies. I've read the whole trilogy includes Extras. Love them! :)

[Kami]

I thought that the blurb on the back was boring and usual- I doubt I would've picked it up had we not selected it. As I started reading it though, I felt that the back cover does it no justice at all. I picked it up today, and am halfway through.
As for the picture on the cover- I like it, but I still don't pay attention to it as I am reading. I still have my own picture of what Tally looks like in my head.

[Liz]

The description rather appealed to me. We live ina world today where we focus on beauty as well. We idolize all the "beautiful" actors/actresses. It makes me wonder what our current society would do now if this was brought upon us?? In a way we are slighty there but by choice with plastic surgery to keep us looking younger and to change the nose we hate. As for the cover, it is quite interesting....Is it Tally??? And if so as an Ugly or a Pretty?? Because I would love to know there actual standard of Ugly as I feel it is a pretty girl on the cover.......

[[deleted user]]

I was drawn towards the description because at the time, I thought a world of superficial beauty would be interesting. When I got the book, the words on the cover, "In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly," really compelled me to read it first of my other books.

[Kami]

Liz- I think it is Tally as an ugly. From what I read, pretty is something that I can't even imagine. Someone so beautiful and "perfect", that I have never seen before. It just goes to show that the "uglies" are not that at all.

[Sylvia]

Did you see the new edition with dolls on the cover? I found it spooky. I like the first edition better.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

When I read the description I didn't find that the book sounded interesting. I did check out the covers with the dolls on them and those look way scary! I like the original covers much better. I hear something though when an author changes publishers they have to change illustrators so I am not sure if that is what happened in this case.

[lionlady]

I discovered that if you open the cover flat so you can see the whole face - it isn't the same face. Is it Tally as an Ugly and a Pretty? Is the one on the back cover Peris? It was interesting, but I wouldn't have read it based of the cover and description. It just didn't sound interesting or even novel. But I'm glad I read it. I agree w/ Danielle. If it had said something about the smoke and brain damage/control I would've snapped it up.

[Nicole]

I don't know, when I first read the description and saw the cover, it just looked kind of... shallow? I mean, I wasn't sure if I would really read it, but then I asked my librarion and a couple of friends and they said it was really good. So I picked it up and started reading, and couldn't put it back down!