By the 8th grade, most students know if they are readers by choice or for academic purposes ONLY. Either way, they are judging books by their covers the way they have begun to judge their friends. The cover of the novel needs to be strong, intriguing, and relate to their current struggles as an early adolescent finding their way. The content of the novel could be mindblowing, but if the cover resembles their historical mentor text from their social studies class, they will pass on it. 8th graders are in the midst of finding their voice and wanting their voice to be heard; whether it be for social justice or their personal feelings. Experiencing characters that look, act, and feel like them will motivate upper middle school students to actually read their classroom books, participate in class discussions, and complete corresponding writings.