I’ve always been told to not judge a book by its cover.
Whatever.
I’ve judged books by their covers my whole life. I’ve also judged books by their thickness and font size.

My coworker Jen and I will judge the following book by its cover, and when I say judge, I mean guess what the story is about.

Trout Summer by Jane Leslie Conly

Rob says: I think this book is about a brother and sister who live in the city. Their mom sends them to spend the summer with their uncle who lives in a more rural/nature like setting. The boy doesn't know how to swim but the sister convinces him to take their uncle's canoe so she could visit the boy she likes who lives down the river.

Jen says: I think this book is about a brother and his sister who are excited to be enrolled in their first summer camp. The camp is called Kitchiwatchi. At first they’re homesick, but they start exploring the area and come across some canoes. A wrong turn down the vicious rapids leads the two stranded deep in the harsh woodlands. They find themselves living off the land and fending off bears while waiting to be rescued.

If you would like to know what Trout Summer is about scroll down below the illustration from the NYPL Digital Gallery.

According to the back cover of Trout Summer:

When their father leaves them, thirteen year old Shana and her younger brother Cody move with Mama to the sterile suburb of Laglade, Maryland. But Shana and Cody miss the forests and rivers of Virginia. Mama finds them a summer cabin, and they promise to stay out of trouble.

Soon Shana and Cody find out that promise isn't easy to keep. Their tranquil summer in the woods is threatened when they meet Henry, an ornery old man who claims to be a ranger and who forces Shana and Cody to make some difficult decisions.

OK, overall we failed, but that won't stop us from judging books by their covers. Like the common cold we shall return.

Previously: Do You Judge a Book by Its Cover? An Experiment