Literary Themed Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Actually, the week of Halloween is one of the best in the year.  Days are filled with costumes galore and I'm a firm believer in a different costume per gathering.  I don't care if people see me in the same dress twice, but costume?! That's an outrage. This year, I've assembled my nostalgia-based costume of a Tamagotchi (I know, I'm awesome) and my simple tribute to everyone's favorite adorkable TV lady, Jess from New Girl.

Being a book nerd, I have to get some literary ideas out there for those of you who don't have costumes planned yet.  So here we go:

1. Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus Series

All you need is a purple dress with paper cut outs attached all over.  Of course, it helps if you have frizzy hair.

2. Katniss/Peeta/Gale from The Hunger Games

No more dressing up as Twilight characters (please!). If you're going for the love triangle angle, there's a new one around. Bonus points for spontaneously shouting "I VOLUNTEER" or making Sad Gale faces throughout the night.

3. Mr. Popper from Mr. Popper's Penguins

I think this works best if you have a pet or a small child.  Throw on a suit and dress your animal/child as a penguin.  HOW CUTE WOULD THAT BE? But if you can't procure an animal/baby, you can always grab a stuffed animal. 

4. Pippi Longstocking

If you have long hair and some wire, it is absolutely possible to get your braids to stick out like Pippi's and trust me, it will amaze everyone around you. There's a tutorial here. 

5. Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter

 

If you're not super creative, all you need for this is to stick a red A on yourself.  Bonus points if you have a baby! Or you could go as Taylor Swift with an A on for a complete misunderstanding of The Scarlett Letter. Or you could be Emma Stone as a better version of Lindsey Lohan.  The possibilities are endless.

6. Greek Gods/Goddesses - The Odyssey, Percy Jackson, Mythology in general

This one could be very fun.  Pick a god/goddess and play up what they represent.  Wear a Hawaiian shirt and go as Poseidon, wear a bunch of purple balloons and put a laurel on your head to be Dionysus, etc. etc.

7. The Whomping Willow from Harry Potter

You could always go as the obvious - HP himself - but try thinking outside the box.  Wear all brown, attach construction paper leaves to yourself, and grab some branches (but don't hurt anybody)! Bonus points for attaching a blue Ford Anglia to your head.

8. The Man With the Yellow Hat from Curious George

It's in the character's name, you really just need a yellow hat.  Except that's not true, you need a completely yellow ensemble.  And a monkey.  Stuffed animal or real.  Preferably stuffed animal.

9. Margaret from Are You There God? It's Me Margaret

Wear a nametag that says Margaret and attach a thought bubble to yourself stating the book's title question.

10. Janie - from The Face on the Milk Carton

If you're ambitious, make a giant cardboard milk carton complete with Janie's identifying details. 

Go nuts! Happy Halloween!!