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Series Science Fiction ages 9–12

Ross Welford

Part of the collectionRoss Welford
Bestseller list
Adult crossover

Ross Welford's standalone sci-fi adventures — big ideas, breathless pacing and real heart. Read any one on its own; there is no fixed order.

  • Books3
  • Arcs1
  • Span2022–2024
  • StatusOngoing
Start hereInto the Sideways WorldEntry point · 2022 · the natural entry to the series
Open

The series

At a glance.

The standalone middle-grade sci-fi novels of Ross Welford, gathered as a single body of work rather than a numbered series. Into the Sideways World sends two friends into a cleaner, kinder parallel town and a race to prove it is real; The Monkey Who Fell From The Future ricochets between the present and a rewilded Earth of 2425 in a 24-hour countdown; and Time Travelling with a Tortoise returns to the world of Time Travelling with a Hamster for a tender, twisty rescue across time. Each is self-contained and shares Welford's trademarks: a huge scientific premise, cliffhanger pacing, ordinary and funny young narrators, and a genuine emotional undertow.

Ross Welford's standalone sci-fi adventures — big ideas, breathless pacing and real heart. Read any one on its own; there is no fixed order.

Primary themes

Overall tone

  • Exciting
  • Suspenseful
  • Thought provoking
  • Heartwarming
Reading order

These are standalone novels and can be read in any order. Time Travelling with a Tortoise is a standalone-friendly sequel to Time Travelling with a Hamster; reading the Hamster first adds depth but is not required.

One arc

The shape of the series.

  1. I
    Standalone collection arcModerate sensitivity

    Ross Welford's standalone novels

    Three standalone high-concept Welford sci-fi novels; read in any order.

    Three self-contained Ross Welford adventures, unified by voice and approach rather than plot. Into the Sideways World is a parallel-world quest with a climate-and-conflict message; The Monkey Who Fell From The Future is a 24-hour countdown between the present and a rewilded 2425; and Time Travelling with a Tortoise is a time-machine rescue with a real ache at its heart, returning to the world of Time Travelling with a Hamster. All three pair a huge sci-fi premise with ordinary, funny kids and a genuine emotional core, and can be read in any order.

    Reads as

    • Exciting
    • Suspenseful
    • Thought provoking
    • Heartwarming

    On the page

    • Grief
    • Death of character

Fit check

Right for your reader?

Where the series lands by age

  • 1
  • 3
  • 5
  • 7
  • 9
  • 11
  • 13
  • 15
  • 17
  • 19
  • Best fit · 9–12
  • Read aloud · 9–12
  • Independent · 9–12

Reluctant-reader friendliness

Workable

Read-aloud quality

Workable

Adult crossover

High

Grows with the reader

Not especially

Sensitivity envelope

Moderate overall, and consistent.

ModerateSeries-level

Content notes

  • Grief
  • Death of character

Where it sits

In conversation with other series.

Similar in feel

Different shelves, same wavelength.

  • The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski

About the author

Ross Welford.

Ross Welford

Author

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.

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