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July 25, 2011 by Travis Jonker

Covering the Newbery (#23): Johnny Tremain

July 25, 2011 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

Another Monday, another Newbery-winning book gets a makeover. 23 down (…calculating…), many to go.

1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes; illustrated by Lynd Ward

Original Cover:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

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My Redo:

Side by Side:

Verdict: Justin Bieber haircut in the house!!!

Click here to read previous Covering the Newbery posts

(Source image: “Playing War” http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvjantzen/5466884293/)

Filed under: Covering the Newbery, Covers

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kary says

    July 25, 2011 at 11:32 am

    While I love your blog and follow it closely, I have to admit that I’m not a fan of changing book covers!

  2. marjorie says

    July 25, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    Love this one. Can see it making kids (boys and girls) actually want to READ it. As opposed to the original with cubist cyborg Draco Malfoy Lord of Regretsy.

  3. Sam Bloom says

    July 25, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    Hilarious! If only that kid could have done the whole Bieber/heart-shape thing with his hands, this would have been the best cover redo ever!

  4. Kate says

    July 28, 2011 at 8:59 am

    This may be my favorite cover re-do yet. Sure, the kid looks a little Biebery, but the concept is great. Johnny Tremain is one of those books that never seems to get an appealing cover, no matter how many editions come out.

Trackbacks

  1. At the Libraries: Librarian Stereotypes - Cine Sopaipleto » Cine Sopaipleto says:
    July 28, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    […] taking on the Newbery winners from way back and re-imagining the covers, with some great results. Take a gander at his work so far. * It seems like a lot of people want to tweak publisher’s official cover art — and who […]

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