Books

39 Literary Tattoos That Prove YA Fans Are The Best
by Zoraida Córdova

How else do you commemorate your faves? Sometimes owning a book and reading it until it's weathered just isn't enough. Sometimes you want to carry the words on your skin. Book-inspired tattoos aren't new, but they have become more popular over the years. You can't walk very far at book conventions and festivals without coming across someone with a Harry Potter tattoo. Sharing a symbol with thousands of other people can be pretty cool, after all, book nerds are part of a big community.

When it comes to kidlit and YA books, no one reps their faves like YA fans. We are the loudest, the most excited, the most dedicated, and when we love a series, we love it forever. Even some authors like Tess Sharpe and Julie Murphy, to name a few, are on this list with their badass ink. This is just a sampling of what's out there, and some of thought and detail that goes into these works of art is astonishing. From well-loved pictures books, to the phenomenon that is Harry Potter, to the streets of Ketterdam — these tats will have you inspired to get your own ink.

1

'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak

"One was a book thief," it reads. "The other stole the sky."

2

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series by Laini Taylor

This teal blue Kirin was inspired by Laini Taylor's The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series.

3

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

This quote is from The Dream Thieves.

4

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Megan has these stars on both wrists, a small tribute for a big love.

5

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

As Ron Weasley would say: "Mail's here!"

6

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

We all know who she is — the brightest witch of her age!

7

'Matilda' by Roald Dahl

Courtesy of Arielle Milstein/Facebook

Our favorite bookworm from the original cover art.

8

Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan

This beautiful tattoo is inspired by son of Hades, Nico DiAngelo, from Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series.

9

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.

This gorgeous tattoo is a tribute to Blue.

10

'Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky

"And in this moment I swear, we are infinite."

11

'Harriet the Spy' by Louise Fitzhugh

Elizabeth says, "My magnifying glass is for Harriet the Spy, my favorite YA heroine since I was ten years old."

12

'An Ember in the Ashes' by Sabaa Tahir

Sabaa Tahir (on the left) translated this quote herself! It's Sadhese, the native language of the novel's protagonist Elias, and it means "spark and burn."

13

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Life goal achieved.

14

The Vinyl Trilogy by Sophia Elaine Hanson

Sophia Elaine Hanson proves that sometimes the best words to live by are your own.

15

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

These two best friends are going to Hogwarts together! They have each other's innitials on their seals.

16

'All the Bright Places' by Jennifer Niven

Love for this cover — and Finch.

17

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

This is a beautiful piece for an equally beautiful quote: "To the stars who listen and the dreams that we answered."

18

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter was, after all, part of the resistance.

19

'Dragolin' by Stephen Cosgrove

This is the cutest dragon of all the dragons.

20

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

So you can take the magic of Narnia with you, wherever you go.

21

The Midnighters Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

The bottom symbol is inspired by Scott Westerfeld's The Secret Hour.

22

The Harry Potter Series by J.K> Rowling

This owl is ready to work some magic. What charm would an owl use?

23

The Immortal's Quartet by Tamora Pierce

This breathtaking rendition of Daine is inked on Sam Maggs, author of The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy.

24

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

These words are written in author Cassandra Clare's own handwriting! "Words have the power to change us."

25

A Court Of Thrones and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

A tattoo inspired by Maas's fairy world.

26

'Babar's Yoga For Elephants' by Laurent de Brunhoff

Strike a pose with Babar.

27

Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo

This Grisha fan inked a Heartrender symbol with a quote from Nina Zenik on themself.

28

'The Polar Express' by Chris Van Allsburg & The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Here we have a bell from The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and the Lumos charm from the Harry Potter series. Double fandom!

29

'Proxy' by Alex London

Courtesy of Erika King

A tattoo Syd would be proud of.

30

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

A touching tribute to those boys we love.

31

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

This tiny tattoo is a subtle homage to the wizarding world.

32

'Matilda' by Roald Dahl

For the fan who justcan't get enough of this inspirational girl and her many, many books.

33

'Oh, The Places You'll Go' by Dr. Seuss

You can't be a Professional Book Nerd without some awesome bookish tattoos.

34

Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab

This tattoo shows off Lila's mask from A Darker Shade Of Magic and a quote from A Gathering Of Shadows.

35

Six Different Books!

Author and illustrator Colleen AF Venable commemorates some of her favorite titles with a half sleeve. She says: "It's 6 books: The Westing Game, Monster At The End of this Book, Feed by MT Anderson, Go Dog Go, a poem from In The Garden of Bad Things... and a red bunny to honor Gilda Radner's autobio It's Always Something."

For more angles of the tattoo visit her Instagram.

36

'Where The Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak

Author of Ramona Blue, Julie Murphy, has a wild side.

37

'The Thinker of Tender Thoughts' by Shel Silverstein

Dera Luca is a lifelong fan of Shel Silverstein's visual poem "The Thinker of Tender Thoughts."

38

A Darker Shade of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab

In the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab, "as travars" means "to travel."

39

Six Of Crows Series by Leigh Bardugo

Here we go back to Ketterdam with the symbol of The Dregs. The NMNF stands for "no mourners, no funerals."