Halloween Decor: Give an Old Book a New Life

Halloween Decor: Give an Old Book a New Life

Special thanks to our Forest Friend community member Amy P. (Georgia, USA) for sharing this jack-o'-lantern craft idea. We had a lot of fun. I made a ghost.  

What if an old paperback book could become part of your Halloween decorations instead of heading to the recycling bin? With a little folding, a few simple supplies, and some imagination, you can give a used book a joyful second life as a ghost or jack-o'-lantern.

This is a relaxed, creative project for families and classrooms. Choose what shape you want, or make your own folds and faces to represent your friends and family. 

What you'll need

  • One paperback book
  • Scrap paper or a printer for creating a face
  • Scissors*
  • Tape or glue

*Young children should use scissors with adult supervision.

Step 1: Fold the cover

Fold the front cover of the paperback vertically toward the spine of the book.

Folding the paperback book cover vertically toward the spine
Begin by folding the paperback cover toward the spine. The jack-o'-lantern shape.

Step 2: Choose jack-o'-lantern or ghost

For a jack-o'-lantern, stick with this shape and continue folding the remaining pages, then skip ahead to Step 4.

For a ghost, take the top-right corner of the folded cover and pull it down and in toward the spine until a triangle shape forms at the top of the book cover.

Folding the top corner of a paperback book into a triangle for a ghost shape
Pull the top corner down and in to begin shaping a paperback ghost.

Step 3: Keep folding the pages

Continue folding the rest of the pages in the same way, or if time permits, unfold the cover and tuck the triangle section back onto itself.

Tucking the folded paperback pages to shape the ghost decoration
Keep folding, tucking, and shaping the pages until the form begins to take shape.

Step 4: Keep going & secure the covers

Once all the pages are folded into your desired ghost or jack-o'-lantern shape, tape, tuck, or glue the back cover onto the front cover.

Joining the folded paperback book covers to hold the decoration shape
Example of halfway through a book. Keep going until all pages are folded, then secure the covers.

Step 5: Make a face

Draw, color, and cut out a fun Halloween face for your ghost or jack-o'-lantern. Not in the mood to draw? Use our free printable face sheets instead.

Download Free Halloween Faces (Use your printer scale feature to size up or down)

Creating a paper face for the upcycled paperback Halloween decoration
Draw your own expression or mix & match our free printable faces.

Step 6: Add the finishing touch

Tape or glue the cutout face pieces onto your paperback ghost or jack-o'-lantern. Hooray for upcycling!

Finished paperback ghost decoration with a handmade Halloween face
My finished paperback ghost. 
Paperback jack-o-lanterns created by Amy P.
Jack-o'-lanterns by Amy P. Image used with permission. AI altered background.

Have a wonderful autumn and Halloween everyone. We'd love to see your paperback upcycled creations. Together, we're creating joyful ways to learn, grow, and protect our planet.

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