- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Science Fiction
Time Travelling with a Hamster
On his twelfth birthday Al Chaudhury gets a letter from his dead father telling him where to find a home-made time machine — and how to go back and stop the accident that killed him. A funny, big-hearted, brain-bending debut about grief, physics and putting things right.
- Best for9–12
- FormatChapter
- Length400 pp
- Read aloud~5 hr40 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Adventurous
- Bittersweet
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Al Chaudhury's dad died twice: once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve. On his twelfth birthday Al receives a letter from his late father revealing that a time machine — an ancient laptop and a tin bucket — is hidden in the bunker of their old house, along with instructions to travel back to 1984 and prevent the go-kart accident that will one day prove fatal. What follows is a gloriously complicated mission involving lying to his mum, borrowing a moped, accidentally setting fire to his school and keeping one small hamster alive across three decades. Ross Welford's award-nominated debut is a rare thing: a genuinely clever time-travel story that is also a tender exploration of loss, family and the wish to change the past. Warm, wildly funny and quietly wise, with a British-Indian hero whose voice carries the whole book, it has become a modern middle-grade favourite.
“My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve.”
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best for confident readers aged 9-12 reading independently, with strong adult crossover appeal. The time-travel logic and bereavement theme suit older primary and lower-secondary readers; it also works as a shared read for a nine- or ten-year-old.
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 9–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: death of parent, grief.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- 9 to 12
- Sci fi lovers
- Emotional stories
- Confident readers
Avoid if
- Needs low emotional stakes
- Very sensitive children
Particularly good for children who are…
- Bereavement
- Mixed race or dual heritage family
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Al gets to do everything kids dream of — build a time machine, ride a moped, sneak out at night — but with real stakes: he's trying to save his own dad. The mind-bending time-travel rules and near-misses make it a proper page-turner, and Al's voice is funny and true.
- Time travel
- Adventure and freedom
- The underdog winning
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
Welford threads real physics and real grief through a genuinely thrilling plot without ever preaching. The British-Indian family feels lived-in, the humour lands for adults, and the ending earns its tears. A brilliant read-aloud or shared read that starts conversations about loss and letting go.
- Great writing
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
About the author
Ross Welford.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
