7 awesome Book Week costume ideas!

Heads up everyone: next week is Book Week!

For kids, it’s a week of absolute delight that celebrates the imaginative wonder of books. For parents, however, it can be a nightmare if the week has snuck up on you and you don’t have a Book Week costume prepared for your kids.

Never fear! I’m here to help with these 7 suggestions for awesome book character dress up ideas.

The theme for Book Week this year is ‘Reading is my Secret Power‘, so I’ve picked out some characters that I think are pretty heroic, even if they’re not actually superheroes – they’re friendly, brave, compassionate, and true to themselves. While you won’t find a Harry Potter or a Matilda on this list (they’re fantastic characters, but let’s face it, they’ve been done to death), you will find a bunch of characters that deserve a bit more Book Week love!

Best of all, they should be easy and cheap enough to assemble this weekend in plenty of time for the dress-up parade (Kmart and Big W will be your friend)! Scroll on down…

Macca the Alpaca

from the Macca the Alpaca series by Matt Cosgrove

Now, I may be biased because alpacas are my favourite animals, but I think Macca would be a great character to dress up as for Book Week! He’s totally lovable, friendly, and willing to give anything a go (even if he might look a little bit silly!).

All you’ll need to dress up as Macca is a fluffy white onesie (a jumper with some white leggings will do), black socks, some cute cardboard ears, and some funky maracas!

Claris the Mouse

from Claris: the Chicest Mouse in Paris by Megan Hess

Claris, the fabulously fashionable little French mouse created by illustrator Megan Hess, would be the perfect choice for a Book Week costume. Not only is she oh-so chic and adorable, she has a wardrobe full of outfits for you to choose from!

For a classic Claris costume, find a frilly pink dress, some cute little ballet slippers, and a matching handbag (and don’t forget the fluffy white mouse ears and tail)!

Thelma the Unicorn

from Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey

Be the shining star of the Book Week fancy dress parade by dressing up as Thelma the Unicorn, the star of Aaron Blabey’s bestselling book!

Dress in pink from top to toe, find some sparkly silver tinsel for your glorious mane and tail, and fashion yourself some ears and a glittery horn from cardboard – easy peasy!

Squidge Dibley

from Squidge Dibley Destroys the School by Mick Elliott

Squidge Dibley is the star of a gross and hilarious new book series from Mick Elliott, and I think it would be amazing to see Squidge make his Book Week debut! Squidge is fun, resourceful, and mischievous (and he has more than a few secret powers up his sleeve).

For a Squidge Dibley costume, find yourself some black shorts, a black-and-white striped shirt, some thick-rimmed glasses with square lenses, a little brown suitcase, and spike up your hair with some hair gel!

Morrigan Crow

from the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend

The Nevermoor phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down, and with the third book in the series, Hollowpox, coming soon, its misfit heroine Morrigan Crow is an excellent choice for Book Week fancy dress!

For the most Wundrous Morrigan costume ever, find a little black dress, a red hair bow, and a magical looking umbrella!

Polly and Buster

from the Polly and Buster series by Sally Rippin

Sally Rippin’s heart-warming series about the forbidden friendship between Polly the Witch and Buster the monster is the sweetest thing ever, and would be the perfect Book Week costume for two siblings or best friends!

For a Polly costume, wear a white t-shirt under a black dress, pair it with some black-and-white striped stockings and a little broomstick. For Buster, if you can find a furry brown monster onesie that would be perfect, but otherwise you can wear all brown with Buster’s blue overalls over the top, make some monster horns out of cardboard, and paint on some little teeth with face paint!

Max the Funny Kid

from the Funny Kid series by Matt Stanton

Every kid wants to laugh, and Max is the boy who can definitely make that happen! Matt Stanton’s Funny Kid series is utterly hilarious and its hero Max would be a great and easy choice for a Book Week costume.

For the perfect Max costume, find a red-and-white striped t-shirt and some shorts, spike up your hair with gel, and get creative with a prop from one of the books – a stuffed toy puppy (Funny Kid: Get Licked), a microphone (Funny Kid: Stand Up), or a life jacket (Funny Kid: Prank Wars).

If you use any of these ideas, we’d love to see it – tag us in your Book Week costume photos on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

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About the Contributor

Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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