Examine this book cover and read its blurb. Outline your fi rst impressions of the book and whether or not you would like to read it.
Sample Answer (Higher Level) Initially, I was struck by the dark colouring on the cover of this book. The grey muddy ground contrasts with a fi gure with vibrant red hair in a white dress and grey jacket. The set ing looks bleak and the character looks like she is on a road or lane. This really aroused my interest because I wondered whether this mysterious set ing was somewhere close to home.
refers to ‘colour’ from the CCMC technique
important to give a personal response
Reading the text on the front cover helped to shape my impression of the book: `A dark and thrilling masterpiece that will draw you into an ancient wrong.’ The adjectives `dark’ and `thrilling’ gave me a sense that this book is a thriller. The addition of the word `ancient’ made me think it is a fantasy thriller because the word reminded me of paganism and ancient Ireland. This impression is also backed up by the mysterious winged shape beneath the water; it looks like a dead animal or insect and creates an ominous atmosphere.
refers to specifi c
words and gives an opinion on what they might imply
The blurb confi rmed my idea that this is a fantasy thriller as it refers to immortals in search of food to survive. The characters of Tina, Joe and Harry are portrayed as victims so I knew there was going to be confl ict, drama and possibly violence. The blurb also mentioned `fi ghting for survival’, which made me want to read the book to fi nd out what happens.
When you examine a book cover and blurb, you should refer to
both image and text, unless the question states otherwise.
