The Most Spectacular Book Character Halloween Costumes (2024)

Charlotte from E.B. White's book Charlotte's Web might just be literature's wisest spider. This easy DIY simply involves drawing a spider web on a white shirt and writing a word on it, like Charlotte does in the book, and pairing it with black leggings and a mask. Your little one can also dress up as Fern, the farm girl from Charlotte's Web, or Wilbur, the book's adorable pig.

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The mischievous boys and girls in your life can embody the most mischievous characters in Dr. Seuss's oeuvre: The Cat in the Hat and his cronies, Thing 1 and Thing 2. This DIY tutorial gives instructions for building the Cat in the Hat costume using only a black T-shirt, black pants, white gloves, a red bow-tie, and a white felt patch, and has similarly simple instructions for Thing 1 and Thing 2.

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Cruella de Vil originated in children's books written by Dodie Smith, and became a famous Disney villian. There are many directions a Cruella costume will go in. Will you be a chic villain, like Cruella in 101 Dalmatians? Or a punk rock-inspired Cruella, like in the recent prequel movie? This blog gives a kid-friendly costume DIY version, involving a tulle skirt in Cruella's signature red, black and white palette that works equally well for adults.

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Where Amelia Bedelia goes, fun (and chaos) follows. Skip your chores on Halloween, and channel this beloved children's book character instead in a costume, demonstrated expertly by Atarah Batsheva in this pic. All you need for this look, which is especially great for teachers, is a long-sleeved black dress with a white button-up shirt underneath, and then the finishing touch: A white apron.

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We solved the mystery...of what you're going to be for Halloween this year: Sherlock Holmes and his partner-in-crime-fighting, Dr. John Watson. Let your imagination run free on this couples or BFF costume. All you really need are period-style hats, a fake pipe, and a magnifying glass.

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Arthur is perhaps the ultimate bookish Halloween costume—the cartoon aardvark is an ardent book lover, and made library cards cool. Step one? Get yourself a mustard-color sweater. Step two? Round glasses. You're set! This one works for all ages.

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All you need for an Eloise costume is a black skirt, a white button-down shirt, black suspenders, and a red bow. Not included? A permanent residence at New York's Plaza Hotel. You can wear this costume year round, in our opinion.

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Looking for an easy, but undeniably clever, DIY costume? Gather your paper bags, and recycle them into a dress inspired by The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. You'll want to trace a shirt from Kraft paper, and tie it with twine.

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Junie B. Jones is everyone's favorite elementary schooler. The costume's fundamentals are pink cardigan, a purple skirt, and patterned tights—but really, any blend of colors and patterns will do, so long as it's paired with a big bow. If you're a kindergarten teacher, this one's a real crowd pleaser.

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Madeleine of Ludwig Bemelmans' famous children's books is only seven years old, but is already imbued with a French sense of chic. Get the look with a navy dress, white collar, Mary Jane shoes, and—of course—a signature hat.

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Nikial Robinson, who has an entire Instagram account devoted to her costume creations, demonstrates that Mary Poppins is only a few patterned items away. First step? Get a carpet bag.

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Exchange the typical black dress and green face paint for a witch costume inspired by Strega Nona, the character from Tomie DePaola's beloved books. Drape a large scarp around your shoulders, and wear a lot of fabric—long skirts, sweaters, apron, and a hat.

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When in doubt, cloak yourself in Edgar Allan Poe's gloomy aesthetic and know that fellow literary-minded people will see what you're aiming for.

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Curious George's next adventure? A Halloween party. This adorable storybook idea makes for a cute best friend's costume, too. The maker of one DIY costume simply dyed white clothes yellow using RIT liquid dye or you can wear a onesies.

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Channel the '70s aesthetic found in Taylor Jenkins-Reid's hit novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, for a laid-back and literary costume. Daisy Jones is the singer of a short-lived and legendary band. Once the movie adaptation comes out, this costume will be even more popular. For more inspiration, check out Fleetwood Mac's outfits—the band that partially inspired the book.

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All aboard the Magic School Bus. All this whimsical dress needs is a bright orange wig, and thenMiss Frizzle is officially in the building. It's particularly on-the-nose for teachers but anyone can pull off this beloved book character costume.

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George R. R. Martins novels spawned a massively popular HBO series, Game of Thrones. Dress up as Daenerys Targaryen in her Khaleesi form, before she took a turn in the final season. Don't forget the wig.

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The year Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before was adapted into a hit Netflix movie, Lara Jean became a popular book-inspired Halloween costume. Her style is youthful, but twinged with nostalgia.

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No magic dust is required to become Tinkerbell from J.M. Barrie's classic novel, and Disney's popular movie adaptation. Unfortunately, the costume doesn't come with the ability to fly.

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In Louis Sachar's Holes, Stanley Yelnats is shipped off to Camp Green Lake to dig endless holes. In addition to the all-orange outfits, you'll need jugs of water and shovels.

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