boy (possibly) runs away and finds a large house/mansion where there are children playing but they can never leave /s

[Kelly]

I read this probably about 1994-99. I'm not sure the genre. A boy I think runs away and down a street finds a wall that he somehow goes through and finds this large home where there are a lot of kids playing but there's something really strange about the whole thing- I think the kids end up not being able to leave the house.

[Diana]

Maybe The Thief of Always?

[Kelly]

Diana wrote: "Maybe The Thief of Always?"

OMG I think that's it! Thank you thank you! I've been thinking about this book for ages!

[Diana]

You're welcome! This one comes up a lot.

Be sure to move this topic to a "SOLVED" folder.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

I'm thinking that this in one of those books that I'm going to have to add to my TBR mountain range. Kelly, you were the 5th person to look for it, and I figure if that many people remember it fondly enough to want to re-find it, it must be "something else," right?

[Diana]

I read House of Stairs and Displaced Person because they show up on sites like this all the time. Next up is Into the Dream...then maybe this one!