Characters that live in a girl's mind

[Heather]

My sister and I are desperately trying to find a book we read as kids. It's about book characters that live inside the protagonist's mind. Every time she remembers them they act out a scene from the book on a "stage" in her mind. As she grows older she thinks less of these book characters, so they start to "fade away". I seem to remember that they start to get covered in black stuff and are unable to move (they get locked in place) until they eventually vanish forever. The main book character strives to survive by working his way into her dreams, so that she'll remember him. Does this ring a bell for anyone? It's an extremely thought-provoking and emotional book and it has stayed with my sister and I all these years. If anyone knows the name of it or the author's name please let me know!

[Rainbowheart]

What year did you read it, approximately?

[Heather]

Probably around the year 2000. Between 1999-2001 let's say.

[Capn]

Was it fully illustrated (a picture book)? Or more like a chapter book (few illustrations, lots of text)?

Do you remember what any of the characters look like (even vaguely)? Would Humpty Dumpty be a character, for example? (Readily identifiable characters from popular nursery rhymes?).

And which country did you read it in? And was it in English, or could it be another language?

:)

[Heather]

It was in English. I read the book in Canada. It was a chapter book with no illustrations. It was a fairly short novel, a small book. I think the cover was navy blue. No pictures on the cover either. I don't remember any readily identifiable characters. The main character that was striving to be remembered by the girl by working his way into her dreams was not a famous character. He was not a Nursery rhyme character. That's all I can remember..

Capn wrote: "Was it fully illustrated (a picture book)? Or more like a chapter book (few illustrations, lots of text)?

Do you remember what any of the characters look like (even vaguely)? Would Humpty Dumpty b..."

[Orsolya Könyvtáros (formerly Memp)]

Could it have been The Great Good Thing or one of the other Sylvie Cycle books by Roderick Townley? The first one was published in 2003 and the hardcover without its dust jacket was plain dark blue. The premise is a girl who lives in a storybook whose characters "act out" the story every time a reader opens the book, but the girl learns that she has the power to cross over into a reader's dreams and this helps their story world to be saved.

[Capn]

Things Are Looking Up, Jack? Victoria, BC published. Also Things Are Looking Grimm, Jill

Twilight Land "The storyteller finds himself in Twilight Land at the Inn of the Sign of Mother Goose where well-known characters from fairyland are gathered and each one tells a story." Sounds like a male protagonist, though

[Rainbowheart]

Anything on this thread?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...