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."
2The 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.
3The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
This quote is from The Dream Thieves.
4The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Megan has these stars on both wrists, a small tribute for a big love.
5The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
As Ron Weasley would say: "Mail's here!"
6The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
We all know who she is — the brightest witch of her age!
7'Matilda' by Roald Dahl
Our favorite bookworm from the original cover art.
8Heroes 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.
9The 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."
14The Vinyl Trilogy by Sophia Elaine Hanson
Sophia Elaine Hanson proves that sometimes the best words to live by are your own.
15The 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.
17A 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."
18The 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.
20The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
So you can take the magic of Narnia with you, wherever you go.
21The Midnighters Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
The bottom symbol is inspired by Scott Westerfeld's The Secret Hour.
22The Harry Potter Series by J.K> Rowling
This owl is ready to work some magic. What charm would an owl use?
23The 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.
24The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
These words are written in author Cassandra Clare's own handwriting! "Words have the power to change us."
25A 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.
27Six 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
A tattoo Syd would be proud of.
30The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
A touching tribute to those boys we love.
31The 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.
34Shades 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.
35Six 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."
38A Darker Shade of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab
In the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab, "as travars" means "to travel."
39Six 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."
