SOLVED. YA/ MG Fantasy about characters in a book when the book is closed, being sad their book isn't being read, scrambling into their places when the book is opened. Spoilers ahead. [s]

[Siavahda]

This was a fantasy book meant for younger YA, what might now be older MG. The conceit was that the characters in books are real and live inside their book, performing the story kind of like a play when the book is read. I think their story was reasonably generic fantasy; princesses, brave knights, that kind of thing. But they were very proud of performing their story well whenever their book was opened. We saw scenes of them all scrambling to get into their places to perform the story when someone opened the book.

The story WE read followed the characters when their book was closed; they interacted with each other in ways that went against the 'official' story of their book, but in a very chill way. Eventually there came a period where there book wasn't opened at all for an incredibly long time, and the characters were sad about it.

Eventually a new person - I think the granddaughter of the book's first reader - found the book and loved it. If I remember correctly she made a new edition happen, and the characters were delighted by getting to get back to performing their story regularly.

I think I read this around 2003 or so in the UK; I wouldn't be surprised if it was one I picked up at a Scholastic book fair or something like that. I think the story might have focussed on a girl main character, maybe a princess or a warrior princess? But I remember it as being told more from an omniscient pov than focussing on just her.

Does this jog anyone's memory?

[Lyndsie]

This sounds like one of my favourite books ever, The Great Good Thing!!!!!!

[Siavahda]

That's it!!! Oh, thank you so much!!!

[Siavahda]

Oh wow, it's the start of a series, I HAD NO IDEA! I'm going to have to track down copies of all of these :D Again, thank you!!!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Siavahda.

Book 1 of The Sylvie Cycle series by Roderick Townley - Lyndsie's find.

[Kris]

Siavahda, please give us an update on this older request. Are you still looking for this book - or did you find it?

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

[Siavahda]

Kris wrote: "Siavahda, please give us an update on this older request. Are you still looking for this book - or did you find it?

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

Still looking for it, it hasn't been found yet. I'll bump it :)