Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Children's Book Cover GRAND FINAL Competition 2023/24

Welcome everybody to the 14th GRAND FINAL of Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books' Children's Favourite Book Cover. We have already run five fantastic heats and now have all five winners and the two highest runners-up. We are ready for your VOTES once again. This is your chance to choose your favourite book cover illustration to be crowned the ultimate winner. So get your fingers ready as it all starts NOW. Who will win this YEAR and go down in the Hall of Fame? See previous WINNERS. 

This week's final prize for voting is a £10 book voucher, two books and a delicious bar of chocolate. Good luck everybody! 

If you are interested all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll HERE (or at the bottom of the post)
• Leave a comment through this post/poll or see pinned Tweet/X for more details on @Enchantedbooks
• This poll will end on the 19th of Jan 2024 at Midnight (UK). 

Have fun and share with the world through Twitter, Facebook, Threads, and Instagram. Watch the voting develop, and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed).

Here are the SEVEN brilliant book covers to vote for this week: 

BOOK ONE: Bex Hogan - Bronte Tempestra and the Lightning Steeds - Published by Piccadilly Press (1 Feb. 2024) - Book Cover Illustration by Hannah McCaffery and art directed by Dominica Clements - VOTE HERE

BOOK TWO: Hannah Durkan - Zeina Starborn and the Emerald King - Published by Orion Children's Books (6 July 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by George Ermos - VOTE HERE

BOOK THREE: Nicola Davies - Skrimsli - Book Published by Firefly Press (14 Sept. 2023) -  Book Cover Illustrated by Jackie Morris - VOTE HERE 

BOOK FOUR: Rhian Tracey Hide and Seek: A Bletchley Park Mystery - Published by Piccadilly Press (29 Feb. 2024) - Book Cover Illustrated by David Dean - VOTE HERE 

BOOK FIVE: Eibhlis Carcione - Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay - Book Published by Everything with Words (1 Jun. 2023) - Book Cover Illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska - VOTE HERE 

BOOK SIX: Rachel Chivers Khoo - The Magician Next Door - Published by Walker Books (7 Mar. 2024) - Book Cover Illustration by Alice McKinley and cover designer Maia Fjord - VOTE HERE 

BOOK SEVEN: Penny Chrimes - Moon Shifter - Published by Orion Children's Books (29 Feb. 2024) - Book Cover Illustrated by Manuel Šumberac - VOTE HERE

HAPPY VOTING! 

FINAL WINNER OF MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS 2019/2020

Mr. Ripley's Book Cover War final 2019/20 has now come to an exciting end. After five exciting heats, we now have another fantastic winner ....... 

I would like to thank everyone who has supported the book cover wars. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we have. It's been very exciting and thrilling to see the love for children's book covers. 

I would like to thank everyone who has taken part and supported this long-running competition. Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars was started to give credit to the unsung heroes of some of our favourite book covers and the creative teams and people behind them. I hope we've done that HERE. 

Altogether, over 3,400 votes were cast over the last six weeks. Thank you all once again FOR VOTING. The winner of the £10 Book Voucher and mystery book will be announced on Twitter later tonight. 

Anyway, without further ado, I'd like to award the title of 'Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars - Book Cover of the Year 2019/2020 to . . . . . . .    

Joan Haig - Tiger Skin Rug - Published by Cranachan Publishing (6 Feb. 2020). Book Cover Designed by Annie Glennie - Congratulations to another worthy winner. 

This book cover will be placed in the Ripley's Hall of Fame where it will accompany the following past winners: 

2009/10 - Jon Mayhew 'Mortlock' illustrated by Christian Lorenz Scheurer

2010/11 - Darren Shan 'Birth of a Killer' illustrated by David Wyatt

2011/12 - Curtis Jobling 'Werewolf: Shadow of the Hawk' illustrated by Andrew Farley

2012/13 - Thomas Taylor 'Haunters' illustrated by Steve Wells 

2013/14 - Niel Bushnell 'Timesmith' illustrated by James Fraser 

2014/15 - M. G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's 'Gemini Force One' Black Horizon illustrated by Blacksheep

2015/16 -  M. G. Leonard 'Beetle Boy' illustrated by Julia Sarda 

2018/19 - Vashti Hardy 'Brightstorm: A Sky-Ship Adventure' illustrated by George Ermos 

CONGRATULATIONS - FINAL WINNER OF MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS 2018/19

Mr Ripley's book cover wars final 2018/19 has now come to an exciting end. After four cracking heats, we now have another fantastic winner ....... 

I would like to thank all the people who have supported the book cover wars. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we have. It's been very exciting and very nail-biting.  I would like to thank everyone who has taken part and supported this long-running competition. Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Wars was started to give credit to the unsung heroes of some of our favourite book covers and the creative teams behind them. I hope we've done that HERE. 

Altogether, over 1,600 votes were cast over five weeks. Thank you all once again FOR VOTING. The winner of the £10 Book Voucher and the Book will be announced on Twitter. 

Anyway, without further ado, I'd like to award the title of 'Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars - Book Cover of the year 2018/19' to . . . . . . .    

Vashti Hardy - 'Brightstorm: A Sky-Ship Adventure' - Book Cover illustrated by George Ermos 

Many congratulations to the winner. This book cover will be placed in the Mr Ripley's Hall of Fame where it will accompany the following worthy past winners:

2009/10 - Jon Mayhew 'Mortlock' 

2010/11 - Darren Shan 'Birth of a Killer' illustrated by David Wyatt

2011/12 - Curtis Jobling ''Werewolf: Shadow of the Hawk' illustrated by Andrew Farley

2012/13 - Thomas Taylor - 'Haunters' illustrated by Steve Wells 

2013/14 - Niel Bushnell - 'Timesmith' - illustrated by James Fraser 

2014/15  - M. G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's - 'Gemini Force One' Black Horizon by Blacksheep. 
2015/16 -  M. G. Leonard - 'Beetle Boy' - illustrated by Julia Sarda 

2016/17 - Roderick Gordon - 'Summerhouse Land' - Book Cover by Stanley Donwood

Nick Cook - Death Of Light (Fractured Light Trilogy BK 3) - BOOK COVER REVEAL

Here at Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books, we love to highlight the hidden talent behind some of our favourite book covers. It has been nine years since I introduced the book cover wars to recognise illustrators and the creative teams behind them. With the final of this year's book cover wars starting next week, one of the books starring (or sparring!) in the last battle is Fractured Light by Nick Cook. This novel is book one in The Multiverse Chronicles. 

We are delighted, however, to be able to reveal the author's third book in the series which is called Death Light. It features another very talented book design and illustration by Ryan Schwarz. It is possibly the scariest one published to date. We are proud to be the first to release the image prior to it going on sale this weekend. Look out for a copy and be prepared to be thrilled by another great story. 

Please check the author's Website for further announcements and more information about this thrilling Sci-Fi trilogy. 

BOOK COVER ALERT - Sarah Baker - Eloise Undercover (Catnip Publishing)

On the 7th September 2017, Catnip will publish the second book by Sarah Baker. Here is a quick peek at the fantastic book-cover art work that has been exclusively revealed today across the social media network.

For any of you who are interested, this time last year I featured a BRILLANT post on the concept design of the first book "Through the Mirror Door". This SHOWED a fascinating insight into the final book-cover that we get to see and love - why not check it out here. 

Eloise is another example of Baker’s strong and memorable female characters. She yet again demonstrates how girls can take the lead as well as examining the very contemporary topics of war, loss and fear. This beautifully written story will be enjoyed by fans of detective fiction and authors Katherine Rundell, Emma Carroll and Robin Stevens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Sarah Baker is a children’s writer based in London. Her previous book, Through the Mirror Door, has been very well received by bloggers, bookshops and readers. Sarah has worked extensively in film, with roles at Aardman Features, the Bermuda Film Festival and as Story Editor at Celador Films. She writes guest features for a number of online magazines and blogs, including the popular #vintage baker finds pieces for Bristol Vintage. ELOISE UNDERCOVER is Sarah’s second novel.

Find out more at bysarahbaker.com  and follow Sarah on Instagram and twitter @bysarahbaker 

Mr Ripley's Exclusive Book Cover Reveal - Alex Campbell - Cloud 9 - Published by Hot Key Books

I always feel a little bit excited when I'm given the opportunity to nurture a new book cover and introduce it to the 'wildness' that is the internet for the first time. It's a great honour and privilege to be showing off a stunning book cover to readers and followers of Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. The team at Hot Key Books have done a brilliant job, which makes it all the better for showing it to you all today. 

The Cloud 9 book cover art was by Jet Purdie, Art Director at Hot Key Books, and the illustrator Levente Szabó. You'll find Cloud 9 landing in your shops at some point during September 2015. So for now, here is the synopsis for you to whet your appetite. Please let us know what you think. 

Life's Short. Enjoy It.

So goes the favourite slogan of Leata, the wonder-drug that sixteen-year-old Hope has been taking since she was a child, just like the rest of her family. Well, the rest of the country really. For who would choose not to take it - a perfectly safe little pill that just helps take the ‘edge off' life. Because everyone can do with a little help staying happy sometimes… Especially Hope, whose home life is not as perfect as she likes to make out on her blog. 

Tom's never taken Leata. Why would he? His family are happy as they are. At least they were, until the sudden death of his journalist father. The police are unequivocal: his father's death was suicide. But Tom refuses to accept this. Consumed by grief, and increasingly obsessive about his dad's final big story, he is thrown a lifeline when Hope offers to help. As a Leata-backed blogger, she wants to steer Tom into 'positive living' - instead, her efforts take her down a path she could never have expected. Tracing the final steps of his father's life, Tom, and Hope, soon find themselves unravelling a trail of deceit, murder... and a conspiracy so shocking the government will do anything to keep it secret. 

BOOK COVER REVEAL: DANIELA SACERDOTI - TIDE - BOOK TWO IN THE SARAH MIDNIGHT TRILOGY

                                             

Walk this way to discover the unveiling of this interesting book cover - the next instalment of the particularly popular series by Daniela Sacerdoti 'The Sarah Midnight Trilogy'. It's certainly an eye catching cover, but what do you think? 

The book hits the shelves on the 21st February 2013 and is being published by Black & White Publishing. The synopsis is listed below in order to tempt you to order your copy in advance before they run out.

Sarah Midnight is no ordinary teenager. She is a demon hunter, caught up in one of the deadliest wars unknown to man. Orphaned at the age of sixteen, Sarah learned the family trade of hunting without her parents to guide her but under the watchful eye of her ‘cousin’, who was revealed to be Sean Hannay, no relative at all, but a dear friend of the real Harry Midnight.

Now, in the exciting sequel to Dreams, the fight continues. Sarah and Sean may have defeated the Scottish Valaya, but the rest of the war still rages on, and Sarah, Sean, Nicholas and their companions must unearth the identity and location of the Enemy – the leader of the demons – before the world plunges into the Time of Demons once more. Their quest leads them to Sarah’s family home, the Midnight mansion in Islay, and there they discover horrible truths about the demon ruler, his plans,

and Sarah’s own personal history.

Along the way, Sarah must battle not only the demons but her hurt toward Sean and her feelings for the enigmatic Nicholas, who has plans of his own.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Daniela Sacerdoti is the bestselling author of Watch Over Me. She was born and raised in Italy but has lived in Scotland for the past ten years. Daniela holds a degree in Classics from the University of Turin and has taught Italian, Latin and Greek – her great-uncle was the renowned Italian writer Carlo Levi. She lives in Glasgow.

Book Reveal: Derek Landy & Tom Percival - Tanith Low in the Maleficent Seven

This is the new book cover that was unveiled yesterday by Tom Percival and Derek Landy. It's a stand alone novel set in the Skulduggery Pleasant world. Starring Tanith Low it will be published by HarperCollins on the 28th March 2013. This version (see link below) is missing both the words and the title. However, it still shows the full impact of Tom's brilliant work. You can also see both versions over at http://dereklandy.blogspot.co.uk/

Here is the released synopsis for the book:


This time, the bad guys take the stage.
Tanith Low, now possessed by a remnant, recruits a gang of villains – many of whom will be familiar from previous Skulduggery adventures – in order to track down and steal the four God-Killer level weapons that could hurt Darquesse when she eventually emerges. Also on the trail of the weapons is a secret group of Sanctuary sorcerers, and doing his best to keep up and keep Tanith alive is one Mister Ghastly Bespoke.
When the villains around her are lying and scheming and plotting, Tanith needs to stay two steps ahead of her teammates and her enemies. After all, she's got her own double-crosses to plan – and she’s a villain herself…

Darren Shan - ZOM-B - Book Cover Reveal - Simon and Schuster

Hi guys!

We revealed the cover for Darren Shan’s ZOM-B today on our London Book Fair and I wanted you guys to see it in all its glory… please do let me know what you think, we’re really excited about it! - (Brilliant Book Cover - I love it!)

Try not to have nightmares!! ZOM-B is out on 27^th September 2012 and is the first in a 12-part serial, with books publishing every three months until 2015.

Barry Hutchison - The 13th Horseman Book Cover Revealed By David Wyatt

Recently I saw this amazing image for the forthcoming new book written by Barry Hutchison. However, we will all have to wait until March 2012 for it to be released. Although, I have a small synopsis below to tempt you into reading more . . . . . enjoy!

Drake Finn has just met the Horsemen of the Apocalypse but is that really the end of the world? Pratchett meets Python in this dark comic fantasy with plenty of action, perfect for 11+ boys
Drake is surprised to find three horsemen of the apocalypse playing snakes and ladders in his garden shed. He’s even more surprised when they insist that he is one of them. They’re missing a Horseman, having gone through several Deaths and they think that Drake is the boy for the job. At first he’s reluctant to usher in Armageddon but does being in charge of Armageddon have to spell the end of the world?
An apocalyptic blend of riotous comedy, heart-stopping action and a richly imagined fantasy adventure.

Many thanks to David who gave permission for his cover to be shared on this blog. To view other fantastic preliminary sketches for this book please click on the link below to visit Mr Wyatt's blog. http://davidwyatt.posterous.com/the-13th-horseman

New Book Cover - Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams - Tunnels Series Book 5: Spiral

                                   

The Styx have surfaced. If you thought the Limiters were nasty, think again. They’ve brought their females with them this time. And all that stands in their way are Will and his friends, and a rag-bag team of retired commandos.

It’s a smoking spiral of chaos and not everyone will survive.

The best cover so far........ 

Looking forward to reading book five sounds really exciting. We will all have to wait till October to find out more. Can we wait that long?

                       

Darren Shan - Ocean of Boold - U.K Book Cover + Synopsis

Back in December, I showed you all the USA book cover for this eagerly awaited book by Darren Shan.

However, this popped up in my inbox some time last week. The UK cover, which again is so much better then the USA book cover, shows David Wyatt coming up with yet another stunning image. It really is a cracker and will certainly help to promote the book, as it leaps out at potential readers. The book will be released at the end of April - I'm going to find it difficult to wait until then. However, in the meantime, this is a brief outline of the book based on information that I found on the HarperCollins website.

Free from their mentor Seba Nile, Larten Crepsley and Wester Flack join the Cubs – wild young vampires with little respect for human life, and a taste for mindless enjoyment.
For the Cubs, everything is easy. But nothing has ever been easy for Larten, and soon fate throws his life into another spin. With dark paths to travel, Larten finds himself far from the Vampire Mountain and its rules. A long way from home, sick and alone, he must decide what kind of vampire he will be. Whether he will stand firm, be true to his master and his princples – or whether he will lose himself in blood…

Rick Riordan - Kane Chronicles:The Throne of Fire - Book Cover

                                                      

The next exciting instalment now has now been given the title "The Throne of Fire" the second book in the Kane Chronicles, a three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them. This is one of the best book covers,I have seen so far this year. The book will be published on 3 May here in the U.K by Puffin and Hyperion in the U.S. Looking forward to that!
You can also read the Exclusive first chapter of the book over at usatoday

Darren Shan - Ocean of Blood (Saga of Larten Crepsley) - U.S Book Cover

                                        
I've just been sent the US book cover image of the next book in the Saga of Larten Crepsley, which I really like. It certainly gets you thinking about what's going to happen in this next little episode of Mr Crepsley's life. As a reader of my blog, I know that you'll be excited to see this and also to get copy of the final book, once it has finally been published. It will be very interesting to see the UK book cover in order to see if it stands out as much as the first book cover, which was a recent winner of my book cover wars. Therefore, it certainly has a reputation to live up to.

For anyone who wanders along my blog, and doesn't know anything about these books, I have posted a YouTube clip of Darren at this year's Edinburgh Book Festival. You can watch him talking about the first book in this series as well as some of his other books. Hopefully, you should find this both interesting and informative - it might tempt you into reading something scary. So make sure you check it out.

Mr Ripleys Book Cover Wars 2010 - Heat 1 of 4 - Plus Charlie Higson Book Giveaway - The Enemy

They are finally back. . . . . you are now entering the book cover war zone for 2010. 


For any follower of this site, this is the chance to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week (for the next 4 weeks) we are going to select four book covers for you to vote for. The winner of each heat will then go forward to the final round and get a chance to be crowned as 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Winner 2010'.


As a voter, not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover but you will also be in with the chance to win a different signed book each week. Therefore, in order to kick off the competition this week, we have a signed copy of Charlie Higson's 'The Enemy' to give away. All you need to do is:

• vote for your favourite book cover using the poll (see top of the page)
• leave a comment through this post or send a tweet through Twitter
• sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed)

Book One is - Cristy Burne - Takshita Demons:The Filth Licker - Published By Frances Lincoln Children's Books - June 2011


                               
Book Two - Tom Percival - Tobias and the Spooky Ghost Book -  Published By HarperCollins - Sept 2010


                               
Book Three - Steve Feasey - Changeling:Zombie Dawn - Published By Macmillan Books - 2011

Book Four - Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson - The Familiars - Published By HarperCollins -  Sept 2010

Mr Ripley's - Top 10 Book Covers of 2009

Book 10 - Mike Wilks -  Mirrorstorm -  Book Published By Egmont Books U.K

Book 9 - David Whitley - The Midnight Charter -   Book Published By Roaring Brook Press - U.S

Book 8 - Steve Augarde -  X Isle - Book Published By David Fickling Books - U.K

Book 7 - DI Toft - Wolven - Book Published By Chicken House  - U.K

Book 6 - Ian Beck - Pastworld - Book Published By Bloomsbury -  U.K

Book 5 -  Brandon Mull - Fableheim -  Book Published By Penhaligon Verlag - German

Book 4 - Arthur Slade - The Hunchback Assignments - Book Published By HarperCollins - Canada

Book 3 - Cherie Priest - Boneshaker - Book Published By Tor - U.S

Book 2 - Darren Shan - The Demonata - Dark Calling - Book Published By Little,Brown Books - U.S

Book 1 - Daniel Kirk - The Elf Realm: The High Road - Book Published By Amulet Books - U.S (Mr Ripley's Book Cover of the year 2009)


A great year for the book cover. Let us know your favorite book covers of 2009. 


Any you like here?

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars Final Winner Is Jon Mayhew's - Mortlock

The book covers battle has been a great adventure over the last few weeks. After four marvellous heats which were finally narrowed down to four wonderful covers, the exciting final developed this week. There soon appeared to be a front runner as Tracey & Kevin Morley's Unravellers amassed a great number of votes within hours. But then towards the end of the week, Jon Mayhew's Mortlock started to make a comeback and began to gain some support, which then developed into a spectacular ending. As a result of this spectacular ending Jon Mayhew managed to storm away with the prestigious accolade of 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover of the Year. My hearty congratulations go to him - well done.
I'd like to thank all of the authors and people who have taken the time to vote or leave comments, you certainly made the battle incredibly tense and exciting at times. The voting has now closed, the winner of the signed and dated book will be contacted tomorrow, thanks for all of your comments.

Book Cover Wars Big Final - Book Prize Kate Forsyth - The Puzzle Ring - Signed/Lined

The time for the final of the book cover wars has now arrived. All four winners are now locked in the battle to be crowned Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover of the Year - good luck to you all. Readers and fans it is now time to vote for your favourite book cover - don't forget there's a prize for one lucky person, who leaves a comment on this post. The stunning prize this week is a signed, lined and dated first edition of 'The Puzzle King' by Kate Forsyth, I hope this tempts your reading appetite. I look forward to reading your comments and watching the unfolding battle commence.

Book One - Jon Mayhew - Mortlock - Published by Bloomsbury - 2010

Book Two -  Tracey & Kevin Morley - Unravellers - Published by Book Guild Publishing 2009

Book Three - David Whitney - The Midnight Charter - Published by Roaring Book Press books 2009 U.S

Book Four - Steve Feasey - Changeling - Published by Macmillan Books 2009

Book cover wars update

Thanks to everyone who took time to vote and what a battle it was! This battle actually amounted in the most number of votes and entries for a bookcover, so far. I have now emailed the winner of the book competition, they're the lucky owner of a signed and lined Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve. I will send it out once I have the address details.

We now have four bookcover winners who willl do battle in the final, which will be Monday 2nd November. Good luck to the winners who are Steve Feasey - Changeling, Tracey & Kevin Morley  - Unravellers, David Whitley - The Midnight Charter (U.S cover) and the last bookcover winner, Jon Mayhew - Mortlock.

Book Wars Week Four - Plus New Book Prize - Philip Reeve - Fever Crumb

Thanks for all of your votes last week it was a great battle, which finally decided on another winner - David Whitley - The Midnight Charter - U.S Book cover edition.  This now finds its way into the final with Steve Feasey's - Changeling and Tracey and Kevin Morley's - Unravellers. However we now have four more fresh book covers for you to vote for and then the final for all four heat winners.
Thanks for all of your votes last week which finally decided on another winner - Tracey + Ken Morley - Unravellers. This now finds its way into the final with Steve Feasey's - Changeling. However we now have four more fresh book covers for you to vote for.

Thanks to our last lucky winner, your book is on its way to you. Hope you enjoy it!


This weeks book-give-away is a signed lined and dated copy of Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve. All you have to do, to have a chance to win, is to vote and leave a comment on this post, email me or send a message to me via Twitter. I will then put you into The Mr Ripley's Random Hat where a lucky winner will be plucked out at random once the poll has closed. This competition is open to worldwide entries.

Thanks to our last lucky winner, your book is on its way to you. Hope you enjoy it!




Book One is Jon Mayhew - Mortlock - U.K Cover

Book Two is Frank Beddor - The Looking Glass Wars - Arch Enemy - U.S Cover

Book Three is Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz v The Knights of Cyrstallia - U.S Cover

Book Four is Tommy Donbavand - Scream Street - Invasion of the Normals - U.K Cover