Actually, what he said was that he thought it was 'stupendously unlikely'. That's what he used to say about things that he thought weren't real, but couldn't prove. Stupendously unlikely. It's a cool phrase.” And we know this doesn’t go well – for when Al fails to save his father, he alters the space-time continuum, changing everything. And then he needs to find a way to set things right. A thrilling mystery adventure story with contemporary themes, for boys and girls aged 10 and above. What follows is how Al follows his father’s instructions to try to carry out something that seems impossible. Al’s father died four years ago when Al was only eight and so it is not easy to carry out his instructions; for example, Al has to return to his old house, which is ten miles away. For things have moved on and Al’s mother has a new man in her life. Can Al change the world – his world at least?

Touching, silly and exciting by turns, this thrilling little book is an inventive take on time travel for children. Sure to be a hit with fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder… an unforgettable, madcap story from a bright new talent in children’s fiction." Our hero is Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhury (Al for short)– oh, and of course his hamster, Alan Shearer (like the main character of this book my son is not a great football fan, so I had to explain who that referred to. Thankfully, he knew Einstein…). On his twelfth birthday, Grandpa Byron gives Al a letter from his father. The problem is that his father has died, but according to the letter, Al can use his time machine to prevent his death. I loved the exploration of family, it felt like the biggest theme in this book. Because of this crazy time-travel element, the family-unit was all over the place. And it was great. Time Traveling with a Hamster is a strange creature. The central relationship in the book came as a nice surprise: it’s not Al and his father or Al and his hamster. It’s Al and his granddad Byron’s and their relationship is sweet and informs most of Al’s actions. His granddad is the true father figure in the novel. I also loved that Al is Anglo-Indian and that his grandad shares his experiences as an immigrant.

Grandma Julie’s parents didn’t come to their wedding. Grandpa Byron says they were too busy, but that seems odd to me. Perhaps they were racists and didn’t like her marrying Grandpa Byron. Everyone was a racist in 1972, apparently.” He first started writing his debut novel, Time Travelling With A Hamster, in 2014. It was published in 2016 and was shortlisted for the Costa, [3] Blue Peter, [4] Waterstones, [5] and Branford Boase Awards. [6] Lambert, Andrew (7 February 2018). "Children's author Ross Welford says too few books set in the North East". NEWSMAKER PR AND VIDEO PRODUCTION LTD . Retrieved 21 September 2022. Don’t worry: it’s not written in dialect. It’s perfectly comprehensible as it is, with only a few hints at the accent in the text. But if you do know what the Geordie accent sounds like, you might enjoy the book even more!) The concept of time-traveling has been explained very well and easily for the readers and the logics used by the author to make time-traveling possible are apt. Even young readers will find the story to be enlightening for their minds. The author has vividly captured the feel of a person who is traveling through time, and along with Al's feelings, the readers are bound to feel the same way.

Alexander Bisland, age 10- 'This book has a rollercoaster of emotions and it ends with a cliff-hanger. I would really like to read a sequel.'My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve. (He’s going to die a third time as well, which seems a bit rough on him, but I can’t help that.)” My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve. (He's going to die a third time as well, which seems a bit rough on him, but I can't help that.) Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhury’s dad was thirty nine years old when he died for the first time and twelve when he died for the second time. The former happened due to a dislodged piece of metal that caused brain haemorrhage, a leftover from of an accident he had when he was a kid. Grandpa Byron's eyes move left and right as he chooses his words. "I tried to. But I think I left it a bit late with your dad. He preferred computers to his own imagination." He looks at me, a bit sadly, I think. "A lot of people do these days.”