Rules of Survival

U.S. Hardover

I liked this cover when I got it, but had a couple of mental caveats. Matt is a bit androgynous, unless you notice his hands. And cut-off faces, well, this was the period in U.S. publishing when you saw a lot of them. A friend of mine even found another book cover that featured this same model. It was just fine, I thought.

 

with NBA medal

But of course, when you add the National Book Award finalist medal to the cover, let's just say I loved the effect.

 

U.S. Paperback

Then Penguin sent me the paperback design, and it took my breath away. Whereas the hardcover focused on psychology/character, the paperback cover went after theme. I think this cover is flat-out brilliant. At first glance you can't
figure out what's in the bowl, and then you realize it's glass and
your stomach reacts almost physically. The cover makes you feel like Matthew, being force-fed with something that cannot possibly nurture you. The cover almost demands that you pick up the book and find out what is going on. The designer is Christian Funfhausen, who also did the hardcover.

French

The French edition of Rules of Survival is designed to appeal to an adult rather than a teen audience, as it's published as adult in France. But the cover tells the reader that the book is about children. I think it's mysterious about what else the book concerns; and the clothing on the children is old-fashioned and maybe a bit ragged, indicating perhaps that the children are in trouble or neglected. This image gives far less of a gut-punch than does the US paperback; it's subtler. I like the cover, but must note that I am not myself a subtle person. The French title, by the way, comes from the book's finale, where Matt theorizes that his mother is now like a mosquito in their lives.