Meet the author

Ross Welford.

Writer · United Kingdom

Ross Welford: the master of the high-concept middle-grade adventure — time machines, invisibility, parallel worlds — always grounded in ordinary, funny kids and a real emotional ache. Clever and big-hearted in equal measure for 9–12s.

Ross Welford is a British author born in Cullercoats on the north-east coast, a former magazine journalist and television producer who turned to fiction in his fifties. His debut, Time Travelling with a Hamster, was shortlisted for a raft of major children's prizes including the Costa and the Blue Peter Book Award, and established the formula he has repeated to great effect: a huge high-concept idea — invisibility, immortality, parallel worlds, shared dreams — wrapped around ordinary, funny kids and a genuine emotional ache. Across titles such as What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible, The 1,000-year-old Boy, The Dog Who Saved the World and When We Got Lost in Dreamland, Welford pairs brain-bending sci-fi with warm stories of grief, family and belonging. A dependable pick for readers aged 9–12 who want cleverness and heart in equal measure.