Share your thoughts in a quick Shelf Talk!
Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr
A sick child sketches a house, and by night she walks its silent halls in her dreams—only the things she draws become frighteningly real. As the boundary between imagination and reality thins, courage and creativity become her only guides. Marianne Dreams is a haunting, quietly magical tale that lingers long after you close the book.
Have you read this book? Share what you liked (or didn’t), and we’ll use your answers to recommend your next favorite read!
Love Marianne Dreams but not sure what to read next?
These picks are popular with readers who enjoyed this book. Complete a quick Shelf Talk to get recommendations made just for you! Warning: possible spoilers for Marianne Dreams below.
In Marianne Dreams, did you enjoy ...
... the eerie, dream-logic menace of crossing into a look‑alike world where watchful things close in?
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
If the stone “eyes” creeping toward the house in Marianne Dreams gave you delicious chills, you’ll love how Coraline slips through a small door into an Other House ruled by the Other Mother’s button‑eyed gaze. Like Marianne discovering that a casual pencil mark can turn a dream into a trap, Coraline learns that tiny choices in that uncanny mirror‑world have sharp, escalating consequences—complete with whispering rats, stolen parents, and a final, nerve‑tight escape.
... slipping each night from confinement into a hidden world that answers a child’s loneliness?
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Marianne enters the house she sketched to escape her sickbed; Tom, exiled and restless, steps out at the stroke of midnight to find a vast, sunlit garden where there should be only a paved yard. If you loved how Marianne’s nighttime visits with Mark make the unreal feel solid—keys, food, and drawings changing what’s possible—Tom’s growing friendship with hat‑feathered Hattie across time will give you that same tender, time‑slipped wonder.
... a small, claustrophobic setting where a handful of characters carry all the wonder and dread?
Skellig by David Almond
Like Marianne, mostly confined to a room and a single dream‑house with Mark while the stone guardians inch closer, Michael’s world narrows to a crumbling garage, a sick baby sister, and a strange, fragile being hidden among dust and spiders. If that intimate intensity—every whisper and small act (like Marianne’s careful pencil strokes) mattering—pulled you in, Skellig’s quiet rooms and fierce, private miracles will do the same.
... nightmares that force a child to confront guilt, illness, and uncomfortable truths?
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Marianne’s drawings don’t just build a world; they expose responsibility—bars on windows, hungry stones—she must face alongside Mark’s frailty. In A Monster Calls, Conor’s yew‑tree visitor arrives at 12:07 with stories that strip away his defenses about his mother’s illness. If you felt the sting of Marianne realizing she’s made things worse and then working to set them right, Conor’s stark, myth‑bright reckonings will resonate deeply.
... an isolated child whose world opens through an intense, mysterious friendship?
When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson
Marianne and Mark begin prickly—trading help to survive the house and its staring stones—before trust and tenderness grow. Anna, lonely and sent to the coast to recover her health, meets enigmatic Marnie at a marsh‑side mansion; their bond shifts Anna’s life as surely as Marianne and Mark’s alliance changes their dream‑world fate. If that slow thaw into loyalty moved you, this spectral friendship will, too.
Unlock your personalized book recommendations! Just take a quick Shelf Talk for Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. It’s only a few questions and takes less than a minute.