When I was a kid, my mother sewed homemade Halloween costumes for my sister and me just about every year. They were great; some of the favorites I remember include a princess costume that included flounces on the skirt, several pioneer girl costumes, and April O’Neil from (the original!) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Of course, for mom to have time to make these, we had to select and commit to our costumes the summer before. I’m more of a glue-gun-the-week-before kind of costume maker, but I still enjoy making costumes. My own costume making coups thus far include a cowgirl, Waldo from the Where’s Waldo books, and this year, a ghost (admittedly not the most difficult).
If you are reading this post without already having a costume prepared, however, you need something super fast. It’s amazing what you can throw together at the last minute with one or two key pieces, so here are some literary costume ideas that shouldn’t take too much preparation:
1. If you have a leather jacket (or faux-leather jacket), you could be…
- Maddie Brodatt from Code Name Verity (2013 Printz Award Honor Book)
- Prince Aleksander or Deryn Sharp from the Leviathan trilogy (2010 Best Book for Young Adults; a pair of goggles would be a good addition to either of these options)
- Katniss or Gale from The Hunger Games (2009 Best Book for Young Adults, among others) in their hunting gear
- Mal or Zoe from the Firefly series (Ok, ok, not really literary! But still fun…)
2. If you have a parka or heavy coat, you could be…
- Eva, Jasper, or Lukas from Relic by Heather Terrell
- Sam or one of the other Wolves of Mercy Falls, from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (2010 Best Book for Young Adults, 2010 Teens’ Top Ten, if you can pick up some wolf ears or a mask at a costume store, you could be in the midst of transformation)
3. If you have a bathing suit (paired with leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt, imperviousness to cold, or an address in a warmer neighborhood than mine), you could be…
- Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins, Adina, Shanti, Mary Lou, or one of the other fabulous Beauty Queens from Libba Bray (2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults)
- Sam or DeeDee from September Girls by Bennett Madison (2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults)
4. If none of the above fit, you can probably create a favorite realistic fiction character pretty quickly by digging in your closet, your parents’, or the local thrift store. Additionally, many dystopian/science fiction stories that take place in the near future. Some possibilities:
- Hazel or Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars (2012 Teen’s Top Ten, among others), in fancy clothes worthy of a trip to Oranjee
- Eleanor or Park from Eleanor and Park: maybe a combination of mismatched 70s and 80s clothes for Eleanor, with more black for Park (2014 Printz Award Honor Book, 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2014 Teen’s Top Ten)
- Dean or Alex from the Monument 14 series (2013 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, 2014 Teens’ Top Ten): maybe carry a backpack if showing them at the beginning, or with accessories showing some of their survival strategies for a later point
Hopefully these give you some quick ideas for fun Halloween costumes. Happy costume making, and Happy Halloween!
-Libby Gorman, currently listening to Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Loved this post but even more—-love love love that you are listening to Eleanor and Park—the characters’ voices were just awesome!!!
Loved this post but even more—-love love love that you are listening to Eleanor and Park—the characters’ voices were just awesome!!!
Loved this post but even more—-love love love that you are listening to Eleanor and Park—the characters’ voices were just awesome!!!