Please help me remember this YA book from the 90s

[ZimZamZoom]

I have been trying to remember/find this book on and off for about ten years.

When I was at middle school (mid 90s) I read a book about a community of people who lived in secret tunnels in and around the London Underground. I think it began with a teenager running away from home and ending up joining this secret underground community. I cannot remember anything else about the plot though.

I suppose there is a chance it was written/published earlier than the 90s.

I would dearly love to rediscover this book.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Aw, I'm so sorry it wasn't your book OP.

Any luck yet?

None! I've been traveling Goodreads and have added a lot to my 'want to read' list.
There's one booked called Home Street Home that looks possible, but I can't find a copy to buy/download anywhere. The blurb looks promising but I can't be sure without reading the first few chapters isywim.

*trawling (not traveling)

I've had a look on my local library catalogues, but no joy finding that one.

This really rings bells with me too. Was it definitely a book and not a tv series or film?

I was thinking it's either China Mieville or Neil Gaiman, but then realised I was conflating Un Lun Dun with something Gaiman-ish specifically about the underground.

Un Lun Dun is more of a general mirror world but a lot of it is about climbing through tunnels. A contender?

Thanks. I'll try my local libraries this week.

I definitely read this in a book. That's not to say it wasn't made into a TV show at a later date. Although, I doubt it, because I feel like that would've made it easier to find online, maybe?

Sorry no, I read it in the mid-90s, so Un Lun Dun is too late. Thank you though.

@ZimZamZoom hmm this is true. This is very bizarre, I definitely remember this. Why is it so hard to figure out?

Have found this Wikipedia article might help narrow it down:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_London_Underground%E2%80%93related_fiction

Could it be Rachel Anderson's The Survivors Tale?

It's not YA but King Solomon's Carpet? A community of "under group train surfers".

sorry - should be Rachel Anderson The Scavengers tale?

This makes me think of Slake's Limbo. Although that is set in New York so probably not that one.

Did it involve a train driver who wanted to farm sheep?

It's definitely not this one, but it sounds like an excellent book so I've added it to my 'to read' pile, thank you

I'm going to read this book. I'm 99% sure it's not the one I'm after but, as it has so many parallels, I can't discount it entirely without reading it first. Thanks.

You won’t regret it, Barbara Vine is excellent.

It doesn't ring a bell at all. Although, I can only really remember the first chapter or so to be honest.

Hilo and Ben are two young people trying to survive on the streets of London. Each of them running from trouble at home. They meet while looking for work and decide to make a go of it together, finding unexpected warmth and comradeship among the other homeless people sleeping rough.

This is the plot of Home Street Home

There’s a picture of the front cover on Amazon but annoyingly can’t post a picture

Thanks. I did find it on Goodreads. I am not sure that this is the correct book. It's now out of print. It's not in my local library service at all.
The summary sounds promising. But, I remember the tube system being such a large part of the plot and it's not mentioned in the summary.

Anyway, as I said upthread, I have searched for "my" book periodically for at least the last ten years, so I'm sure I'll find it eventually!

I am also looking for this book!! Please do let me know if you find it, I have the same recollections, not six fi, not horror, early 1990’s, set in London, focused on one boy

Just seen this thread, I've read this too. Marking my place in case I can remember more about it.