Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford has been on my kindle for a while. About five years, in fact. I’m very glad I got it, as it certainly hits the ‘marvellous’ tag.
This is another post joining in Marvellous Middle Grade Mondays, run by Greg Pattridge at Always in the Middle. I had a load of MG reads to review, so I’ll see how long it takes me to get through them if I post on the third Monday of the month.
Time Travelling with a Hamster (Al Chaudhury #1)
by Ross Welford
“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’…”
When Al Chaudhury discovers his late dad’s time machine, he finds that going back to the 1980s requires daring and imagination. It also requires lies, theft, burglary, and setting his school on fire. All without losing his pet hamster, Alan Shearer… [goodreads]
My Review
With an opening like that, you know this is going to be good. It is. It has dry wit, the immediacy of a tween (12th birthday) having trouble with the world, his relatives, his school companions… and his dead parent. He has lots of relatives, because Mum has married again: there’s a beastly step sister, a Grandpa who has a memory for absolutely every detail you can imagine. Al has an interesting mixture of cultures in his background. That gives his adventures an interesting mix of traditions and customs to draw on…and a letter from his dead dad, with instructions to open it exactly sixteen hours after he’s given it, which must be on his twelfth birthday.
What follows is a roller coaster, and unlike some I’ve been on, is both gripping and highly enjoyable. This is because Al is narrating how it all happened, and how he felt about it. It has the immediacy of first person coupled with the gentleness of a somewhat shy boy who loves reading. Most readers will identify with that!
The sections are short, packed with great adventure, sometimes scary, but in easily digestible chunks. Perfect for a youngster of any age from about eight if a good reader up to, well, my age. I apologise to Ross Welford, who is a brilliant author, for taking so long to review this book, since I expect I got it on a promotion five years ago.
I’m just checking out the next in the series….
Suitable for boys and girls, especially those of mixed up backgrounds and two or more places they almost call home. And everyone who enjoys time travel, with or without hamsters. (The hamster is great)
Next month will be a little different because I’m doing the April A to Z Challenge. That means I blog to a different letter every day of the month except Sundays. You can join in at A-to-zchallenge.com. The letter of the day for my post will be R, and I’ll include an except from an MG book in it.
Time Traveling with a Hamster …. definitely one for you Jemima it sounds fun 💜
Did enjoy this one, but the length is a bit daunting to my students, who don’t seem to enjoy time travel books as much as I do.
It’s got lots of very short chapters, as well as slightly longer ones. That might help them if they know they get a break (and a page turning end to the chapter)!
This sounds like a fun story! I enjoy time travelling tales so will add to my TBR! Thanks for the recommendation!
I agree that this starts with a great opening line. It sounds like a fun story. Thanks for joining MMGM this week.
I read and loved this book too. I know I will be reading Time Travelling with a Tortoise.
With that title, I had to stop by and see what it was all about!
Add me to also loving that opening line. The title is also a draw, Have a Happy MMGM!
I love the title and the fact that it included a hamster. And it features a boy protagonist, which I appreciate, because it’s so hard to find books that boys will like. I’m hooked by the quote you shared at the beginning. I love time travel and will definitely check this one out!
This book sounds like so much fun. Thanks for sharing it on MMGM!
I thought this book was so cute back when I read it! And it was one of my favorite Instagram pictures at the time (starring the book and Stripe the hamster) – https://www.instagram.com/p/BKBslYqAtfu/
Sounds really unique and that opening line does grab your attention. Will need to keep an eye our for this one.
That opening is terrific. I think I’d like this book. Thanks for the review. I hadn’t heard of it, but now I will look for it.
Time travel and hamsters… what more could I want?
As Danielle pointed out…tortoises. 🤣
Oh wow, this sounds like such a good book! You’re right, that opening sentence was an immediate hook.
The opening sentence was part of the blurb, so at last somebody has written a great blurb!
Hi
Suspect a six and almost a half will enjoy too – writing and illustrating their own book this month, involves an ammonite…
Incidently, did you know our humble voles – aka Timmy Willie, are related to hamsters? Neither did I.
There’s some bullying and scary bits involving fires, so would need a mature six and a half…
I did know about voles, but only recently realised that shrews are not rodents, they’re related to weasels. Of course, I have guinea pigs, also rodents. 😀