Trick-or-treat! Non-binary Charly must think outside the box to create the perfect Halloween costume: one that represents both their feminine and masculine sides. Halloween is always tricky for Charly, and this year they are determined to find a costume that showcases both the feminine and masculine halves of their identity. Digging through their costume box, they explore many fun costumes. Some are masc. Some are femme. Some are neither. But all are lacking. As trick-or-treating looms, they must think outside the box to find the perfect costume--something that will allow them to present as one hundred percent Charly. PreS-Gr 2—Bi-gender Charly is determined to find a Halloween costume that represents their whole identity, showing they're both a boy and a girl. Their Dracula costume makes their femme side feel erased, and the Little Red Riding Hood costume leaves their masc side in the dust. The only solution? Charly must get creative! They put their snipping and sewing skills to work and create a costume that makes them feel "joyfully jazzed, harmoniously hopeful, and one hundred percent Charly." Cartoon-style digital illustrations are tinged with blue and purple Halloween hues and feature some whimsical, magical flourishes. When the time comes for the big reveal, Charly's mostly accepting friends think their costume is wacky but wonderful. Charly's refreshing confidence in their own gender identity is evident throughout the story, though the implication that a Dracula costume might only be for boys because Dracula was a male vampire may strike some readers as unnecessarily binary. Back matter includes information on bi-gender identity and select LGBTQIA+ resources. VERDICT Charly's joyous creativity and persistence will encourage trick-or-readers to think outside of the box this Halloween. —Allison Staley "Charly's joyous creativity and persistence will encourage trick-or-readers to think outside of the box this Halloween." -- School Library Journal "...Charly musters some ingenuity worthy of Project Runway . In Malone's earnest prose, there is never any doubt in this protagonist, who does whatever it takes to feel "one hundred percent Charly."" --Publishers Weekly The detailed illustrations contrast bold reds with moody blues, depicting Charly's frustration, creativity, and ultimate joy in their search for the perfect ensemble. In the end, Charly discovers that just because they are wearing a costume doesn't mean they can't still be themselves. -- Foreword Reviews Cartoony illustrations capture Charly's determination to find the right costume, and the way wearing it ultimately makes them feel 'joyfully jazzed' and 'harmoniously hopeful.' -- Horn Book Magazine "This story about a queer kid finding their own solution to a problem--and the problem not being their identity or people's reaction to it--is upbeat and welcome." --Mombian C.K. Malone is the author of A Costume for Charly, Popi's All Souls Song,  and other books for children. They are a bigender award-winning educator and literature coach at the secondary level. When not grading essays or helping students, they're busy helping design culturally and LGBTQIA+ responsive units for the district and working as a climate and culture coach. C.K. also coaches and advises through alignment with the Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network. They continue this work in the literary world by advocating for all to be given the space to tell their own stories. Alejandra Barajas was born in Guanajuato, Mexico. She completed her degree in fine arts at Guanajuato University and has been illustrating magazines and children's books ever since, including A Costume for Charly .