The Saturday Post: In Which I Judge a Book by its Cover

* Nova Ren Suma revealed the cover & official synopsis for her upcoming YA novel Imaginary Girls, and I have to say … I totally want to read this book based solely on the cover alone. Yes, I just judged a book by its cover. I’ve been known to do that. But take a look and decide for yourself:

Ruby said I’d never drown—not in deep ocean, not by shipwreck, not even by falling drunk into someone’s bottomless backyard pool. . . . It sounded impossible, something no one would believe if anyone other than Ruby were the one to tell it. But Ruby was right: The body found that night wouldn’t be, couldn’t be mine.

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns home two years later, a precarious and deadly balance waits. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Imaginary Girls is a masterfully distorted vision of family reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, laced with twists that beg for their secrets to be kept.

* Speaking of covers — Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series is being reissued with new covers in May 2011, and you can get a sneak peek at them if you’re a fan of his Facebook page. Here’s one of the covers:

* The National Book Awards were handed out this past week. Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine won for Young People’s Literature. Here’s more about the book:

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.

* And for all you Hunger Games fans out there, did you see the new fan-made short film? It portrays an emotional scene between Katniss and Rue from the first book — and though violent, it is well worth watching. Be sure to check out this interview with the director to learn more.

* And finally … Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is in theaters now! I saw it in IMAX at the midnight opening, and I was completely blown away. If you’ve seen HP7, share your thoughts in the comments below!