YA sci-fi read in late 80's/mid 90's-cube sends children on adventures / hallucinations, steals knowledge[s]

[[deleted user]]

I read this in the late 80′s / mid 90′s. A girl discovers that her friends are using a cube like device that when activated sends them on adventures / hallucinations. The only adventure I remember is all of them being shrunk and swimming in a pool of spilled soda.

But with each use, they lose more of their knowledge and start using other words because they can’t remember the actual one-in one case saying “Hitchcock” instead of ketchup.

The girl finds out (view spoiler)[through her dreams(?) that the device has been sent from another world by a queen who’s already drained her subjects of all their knowledge. Somehow the girl makes contact with the queen who tries to drain her knowledge but is defeated with the help of a cat-like animal (hide spoiler)]

I remember the cover was mainly black with the girl looking into a light. I thought the title had "door" or "doorway" in it but after searching WorldCat and filling my to-read list with door books I'm not so sure.

It's definitely not "Invitation to the Game", and I've already checked some of the books related to that one.

Thanks for reading!

[[deleted user]]

Bump.

[Mir]

Sounds really interesting, hope you find it.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks :)

[Tab]

Hexwood fits a little.

Was this part of a series? Was it set on earth?

[[deleted user]]

I reviewed the plot on wikipedia and it doesn't sound the same.

I don't know if this was part of a series, but it was set on Earth.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[[deleted user]]

I begin to fear that this book never existed and was just some sort of childhood fever-dream.

Nevertheless, BUMP.

[[deleted user]]

Bump.

[[deleted user]]

Bump.

[[deleted user]]

Sad Christmas-time bump.

[D.M.]

Happy Christmas-time victory

Star Wind might be the book. Wiki on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wind

"I think I figured out most of it. But what's Hitchcock?"

"Hitchcock? You know that red stuff in all the scary movies that's supposed to look like blood..."

[[deleted user]]

Christmas-time victory indeed!

After so many years of looking, that is the book! This is such a relief. I had thought I would never find it again.

Thank you so much.