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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
I suppose if you’d asked me before, I’d have said a time machine might look something like a submarine? Or perhaps a space rocket.
Instead, I’m looking at a laptop and a tin tub from a garden centre.
This is my dad’s time machine.
And it’s about to change the world.
Well, mine, at any rate.
Al Chaudhury has a chance to save his dad’s life – but to do it he must travel to 1984 …
This astonishing and original novel will make you laugh, cry and wonder – and wish you could turn back time, to start reading it all over again.
Al Chaudhury lost his dad to a freak medical condition 4 years ago. Since then, life has been okay. His mum has moved on and moved in with Steve and his Goth daughter, Carly, and he regularly hangs out with his granddad Byron, who teaches him meditation and memory tricks. But on Al’s 12th birthday he gets a letter written by his dad shortly before his death and his dad reveals an extraordinary secret: he invented a time machine.
Al sees the machine as a way of getting his dad and his family back and helped by a hamster called Alan Shearer, he sets about finding and using the machine. But he soon discovers that time travel is not without its pitfalls and that by trying to change his past, he can make the present a hell of a lot worse …
Ross Welford’s debut novel for children aged 9+ is a sensitively written and intricately plotted science fiction story about grief, acceptance and second chances. Al is a resourceful lead character who’s easy to sympathise with – bullied by both Carly and her on/off boyfriend and isolated, he misses his dad and doesn’t have much in common with the sport-loving Steve. I completely believed in his reactions as he comes to terms with the reality of time travel and its effects and I loved the relationship that develops between him and his dad when they’re both kids (especially the fact that they’re both misfits) almost as much as I loved the relationship between Al and his grandfather. Welford isn’t afraid to tackle race either – this is a great book for those keen to read more diverse books and he makes a point of highlighting both the cultural differences of Al and his family and the things that make them the same as any other family. Although this is a strong debut, it’s not perfect – I found some of the time travel a little convoluted, which meant that the pace dropped off in some scenes. I also found Carly to be a bit too stereotypical and wished that there had been more interaction between her and Al beyond what was needed to keep the plot moving. That said, I did enjoy this book – it’s a clever page turner and I will definitely check out what Welford writes next.
The Verdict:
Ross Welford’s debut novel for children aged 9+ is a sensitively written and intricately plotted science fiction story about grief, acceptance and second chances. Al is a resourceful lead character who’s easy to sympathise with – bullied by both Carly and her on/off boyfriend and isolated, he misses his dad and doesn’t have much in common with the sport-loving Steve. I completely believed in his reactions as he comes to terms with the reality of time travel and its effects and I loved the relationship that develops between him and his dad when they’re both kids (especially the fact that they’re both misfits) almost as much as I loved the relationship between Al and his grandfather. Welford isn’t afraid to tackle race either – this is a great book for those keen to read more diverse books and he makes a point of highlighting both the cultural differences of Al and his family and the things that make them the same as any other family. Although this is a strong debut, it’s not perfect – I found some of the time travel a little convoluted, which meant that the pace dropped off in some scenes. I also found Carly to be a bit too stereotypical and wished that there had been more interaction between her and Al beyond what was needed to keep the plot moving. That said, I did enjoy this book – it’s a clever page turner and I will definitely check out what Welford writes next.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Instead, I’m looking at a laptop and a tin tub from a garden centre.
This is my dad’s time machine.
And it’s about to change the world.
Well, mine, at any rate.
Al Chaudhury has a chance to save his dad’s life – but to do it he must travel to 1984 …
This astonishing and original novel will make you laugh, cry and wonder – and wish you could turn back time, to start reading it all over again.
Al Chaudhury lost his dad to a freak medical condition 4 years ago. Since then, life has been okay. His mum has moved on and moved in with Steve and his Goth daughter, Carly, and he regularly hangs out with his granddad Byron, who teaches him meditation and memory tricks. But on Al’s 12th birthday he gets a letter written by his dad shortly before his death and his dad reveals an extraordinary secret: he invented a time machine.
Al sees the machine as a way of getting his dad and his family back and helped by a hamster called Alan Shearer, he sets about finding and using the machine. But he soon discovers that time travel is not without its pitfalls and that by trying to change his past, he can make the present a hell of a lot worse …
Ross Welford’s debut novel for children aged 9+ is a sensitively written and intricately plotted science fiction story about grief, acceptance and second chances. Al is a resourceful lead character who’s easy to sympathise with – bullied by both Carly and her on/off boyfriend and isolated, he misses his dad and doesn’t have much in common with the sport-loving Steve. I completely believed in his reactions as he comes to terms with the reality of time travel and its effects and I loved the relationship that develops between him and his dad when they’re both kids (especially the fact that they’re both misfits) almost as much as I loved the relationship between Al and his grandfather. Welford isn’t afraid to tackle race either – this is a great book for those keen to read more diverse books and he makes a point of highlighting both the cultural differences of Al and his family and the things that make them the same as any other family. Although this is a strong debut, it’s not perfect – I found some of the time travel a little convoluted, which meant that the pace dropped off in some scenes. I also found Carly to be a bit too stereotypical and wished that there had been more interaction between her and Al beyond what was needed to keep the plot moving. That said, I did enjoy this book – it’s a clever page turner and I will definitely check out what Welford writes next.
The Verdict:
Ross Welford’s debut novel for children aged 9+ is a sensitively written and intricately plotted science fiction story about grief, acceptance and second chances. Al is a resourceful lead character who’s easy to sympathise with – bullied by both Carly and her on/off boyfriend and isolated, he misses his dad and doesn’t have much in common with the sport-loving Steve. I completely believed in his reactions as he comes to terms with the reality of time travel and its effects and I loved the relationship that develops between him and his dad when they’re both kids (especially the fact that they’re both misfits) almost as much as I loved the relationship between Al and his grandfather. Welford isn’t afraid to tackle race either – this is a great book for those keen to read more diverse books and he makes a point of highlighting both the cultural differences of Al and his family and the things that make them the same as any other family. Although this is a strong debut, it’s not perfect – I found some of the time travel a little convoluted, which meant that the pace dropped off in some scenes. I also found Carly to be a bit too stereotypical and wished that there had been more interaction between her and Al beyond what was needed to keep the plot moving. That said, I did enjoy this book – it’s a clever page turner and I will definitely check out what Welford writes next.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
