Cover Notes is a new series I’ll be running every Monday. Rather than focusing on covers of books I’ve read, I’ll be writing about books I’ve never read and recording my first impressions of their covers. Each book will also have an Embarrasment Factor of between zero & five, with zero meaning “a totally awesome cover I want to write fan mail about” and five meaning “I’m ashamed to be seen with this in public.”

Shelved in the young reader section of the bookstore, Windblowne was spine in when I found it–but even nestled among the busy, particolored spines, it stood out.

Windblowne facing out

Things I love about the cover: It’s very slightly surreal. The giant moon, alongside the smaller one, give a sense of dreamy otherworldliness that immediately drew me in. The kite is just the tiniest splash of color, but it draws my eye up, and sets methinking about flying without being over-the-top or trying too hard. The cover’s a little glossy, too, which makes the moons really pop, and I love the way the font is a little windblown. Finally, the spine is eye-catching enough that I picked up the book as soon I saw it, but it’s still a little mysterious.

Things I’m not so hot on: Not too much, but I don’t like the way the author’s name looks on the bottom of the cover–it feels a little rushed and unimportant. I like the idea of the trees, too, but the other kites (if they are kites) are a bit busy for me. A clearer sense of if the fliers above the trees are kites or leaves would definitely help. Update: the artist, Erwin, has a much larger pic of Windblowne’s cover. The size really does make a difference–it’s easier to see both kite & leaves in the image, and the detail on the boy’s trousers.

What I think it’s about: A balloon boy story without the crazy–or, rather, a world where people (people because of the other kites) can ride the wind. This not quite Harry Potter looking fellow looks as if he’s off an adventure; the way he’s looking up makes me think he’s not just excited, but eager to get away from something.

Cover art by: Erwin Madrid. (Seriously, folks, run & check out Erwin’s website–it’s incredible!)

Embarrassment factor: 0!

The Jacket Blurb

A high-flying fantasy adventure that will blow readers away!

Every kite Oliver touches flies straight into the ground, making him the laughingstock of Windblowne. With the kite-flying festival only days away, Oliver tracks down his reclusive great-uncle Gilbert, a former champion. With Gilbert’s help, Oliver can picture himself on the crest, launching into the winds to become one of the legendary fliers of Windblowne.

Windblowne, spine out

Then his great-uncle vanishes during a battle with mysterious attack kites—kites that seem to fly themselves! All that remains is his prize possession, a simple crimson kite. At least, the kite seems simple. When Oliver tries to fly it, the kite lifts him high above the trees. When he comes down, the town and all its people have disappeared. Suddenly the festival is the last thing on Oliver’s mind as he is catapulted into a mystery that will change everything he understands about himself and his world.

Inspired by the work of Diana Wynne Jones, debut author Stephen Messer delivers a fantasy book for boys and girls in which the distance between realities is equal to the breadth of a kite string.

I’m so, so wrong! But I’m not disappointed at all–while I liked where my immediate impressions took me, the real story sounds so much richer, and I’ll definitely be reading it. Looking at the cover again, there are clues to the real story–the misspelled “windblown” should have been a heads-up that it’s a proper noun, and the other kites are a pretty good hint that flying is kinda-sorta commonplace (assuming you thought they were kites to begin with–we’re still not sure).

What did you think when you first saw the cover of Windblowne? Have you read it yet?

eta: cover artist details for Erwin Madrid, note on image size.