Time Travelling with a Hamster

Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford

Published by Harper Collins Children’s Books

31^st December 2015

Paperback Edition

“My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty nine and again four years later when he was twelve.”

On Al Chaudhury’s twelfth birthday his beloved Grandpa Byron gives him a letter from Al’s late father. In it Al receives a mission: travel back to 1984 in a secret time machine and save his father’s life.

Al soon discovers that time travel requires daring and imagination. It also requires lies, theft, setting his school on fire and ignoring philosophical advice from Grandpa Byron. All without losing his pet hamster, Alan Shearer…

Time Travelling With a Hamster is a funny, heart-warming race-against-time – and across generations – adventure that you will won’t be able to put down.



Okay so this doesn’t sound like your usual run-of-the-mill story – I mean, for starters it clearly involves time travel and secondly, there’s a hamster as a central character! However push all doubts out of your head because this is a great book.

Al Chaudhury receives a letter from his grandfather on his 12^th birthday. It gives him instructions on how to travel back in time in order to save the life of his deceased father. Should, could Al bring his father back, and if so, what are the consequences in doing so.

"My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty nine and again four years later when he was twelve.

The first time had nothing to do with me. The second time definitely did, but I would never even have been there if it hadn’t been for his ‘time machine’…”

This clearly has to be kept a secret, and we follow Al on his daring mission via stolen mopeds, police chases and little white lies in order for his task to be completed. There is much risk involved for Al, and his hamster Alan as they attempt to go back in time and save his father’s life.  It is also a story of the past, of life in 1984 and of how regardless of time and place, boys will always be boys.

This is a really great read and I flew through it with lots of laughter and some real tear-jerker moments.  Grandpa Byron is a fantastic character and I really enjoyed ‘listening’ to him through the pages of the book.  Questions that need to be answered are: can Al save his father, will all come right in the end, and how will Alan Shearer cope? Don’t worry though, all will be revealed through the pages of Ross Welford’s debut book.



Happy Reading



Miss Chapter x