5 Halloween Costumes Based On Some of Our Favorite Books

For avid book nerds, Halloween is an opportunity to bring our favorite characters to life. While the rest of your friends are drawing on bloody noses to be Eleven from Stranger Things, here are five characters to channel from recent good reads:

1. A girl from The Girls

You’ve probably seen someone reading The Girls at some point in the past few months. Loosely inspired by the Manson murders, the book features people living in an abandoned, vast space of land. Make an easy costume with bellbottoms, 70s-style hippie vests and sunglasses like the ones featured on the book’s cover.

2. Tess from Sweetbitter

Naive, young people living in New York City are halfway there. Tess works at a popular restaurant in Manhattan, so wear a waiter’s bib and carry a notebook and bottle of wine to complete the look.

3. Elena Ferrante, the mysterious author of the Neapolitan Novels

Ferrante’s identity may have been revealed by an Italian journalist but the truth is, most people don’t want to know who the genius really is. So walk around with a pen and the four books in hand, some well-made Italian shoes and a paper bag with a question mark over your head.

4. Mara Wilson from Where Am I Now?

Matilda star Mara Wilson just released her memoir about growing up in the spotlight. Fans of the book can dress up as a grown-up Matilda (carry books, wear her trademark red bow and blue dress) or just dress up as one of the ‘where are they now?’ memes Wilson is so often featured in.

5. The Girl on The Train

Step 1: Be a girl. Step 2: Be on a train. The lazy girl’s Halloween costume.