The Safari Costume Challenge
Every October, our readers bring a book character to life for Halloween. This page is updated each year — this year’s challenge is below, past years further down.
Dress as Your Favorite Book Character!
Bring a Book Character to Life
Everyone loves a costume in October — so let’s make it count! Pick a character from any book, put together a costume (homemade or assembled from what you have), and tell us who they are and why you chose them. It’s imagination, reading, and Halloween all rolled into one.
Age Categories
Dress up and give a quick introduction — who is your character?
Dress up and share a short story about your character.
Dress up and give a character analysis — traits, role, and arc.
The Rules
- Your character must come from a book — not only a movie or show.
- Costumes can be homemade or assembled from what you already have. Creativity counts more than money spent!
- Tell us the book title and character name.
- Include your intro, story, or analysis as a short note or quick video.
- One entry per student.
How Entries Are Judged
- Costume creativity — inventiveness and effort
- Character connection — how well it captures the character
- Storytelling — enthusiasm in the intro, story, or analysis
- Presentation — care and pride in the entry
Prizes in Each Age Category
Important Dates
How to Enter
Sign Up
Register with our quick sign-up form — free for the Homeschool Safari community, or a donation of any size for everyone else.
Enroll in the Contest →Create Your Entry
Choose a book character and put together your costume, then take a clear photo (or short video) in costume with your intro, story, or analysis.
Log In & Submit
Upload your photo or video to this season’s contest area in the free Homeschool Safari community before the deadline, with your child’s first name, age group, book title, and character name. New here? Create a free account first — it only takes a minute!
Log In & Submit →See the characters our community has brought to life! Click any year to view the winners.
2025/26 Book Character Costume Challenge — our first! ▾
Our very first costume challenge invited students to dress as a beloved book character. This year we’ve moved it to October to join the Halloween fun!
winner photo
winner photo
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