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clairevlinney's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
esther_reads01's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I absolutely loved reading this. I couldn't tell you why but I did like this book. It makes you think about how important family is and what you can do to help and protect them.
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Hugely impressed with this - an inventive, funny and grown-up feeling time travel story for children.
Al's dad is dead. His mum gives a letter from his dad on his 12th birthday, which explains that he had invented a time machine and that Al can use it to go back in time and save his life. Will Al do it? Does he believe him? It couldn't possibly go wrong, could it?
I don't want to offer any more plot than that really. This is one of the most impressive children's books I've read recently - the science and philosophical implications aren't left out, the author lets the reader explore the concepts (and moral questions) along with Al.
It's very well written, Al, his sister, his dad - and others - all feel real, and you really want this young Marty McFly (Back to the Future is references many times) to succeed despite many problems along the way.
It's refreshing to see someone going back in time in a children's book, as this can become complicated you'd expect a writer to shy away from this (time streams overlapping), but no, the reader must keep up.
I found it fascinating and really couldn't put it down. It's a wonderful story, with excitement, tears, adventure, friends and family being key to the story.
Just excellent, I'll be buying new a copy for my school library.
One for ages 10-13, ideally, but I would say adults will enjoy this just as much!
Al's dad is dead. His mum gives a letter from his dad on his 12th birthday, which explains that he had invented a time machine and that Al can use it to go back in time and save his life. Will Al do it? Does he believe him? It couldn't possibly go wrong, could it?
I don't want to offer any more plot than that really. This is one of the most impressive children's books I've read recently - the science and philosophical implications aren't left out, the author lets the reader explore the concepts (and moral questions) along with Al.
It's very well written, Al, his sister, his dad - and others - all feel real, and you really want this young Marty McFly (Back to the Future is references many times) to succeed despite many problems along the way.
It's refreshing to see someone going back in time in a children's book, as this can become complicated you'd expect a writer to shy away from this (time streams overlapping), but no, the reader must keep up.
I found it fascinating and really couldn't put it down. It's a wonderful story, with excitement, tears, adventure, friends and family being key to the story.
Just excellent, I'll be buying new a copy for my school library.
One for ages 10-13, ideally, but I would say adults will enjoy this just as much!
nickabockaglory's review against another edition
4.25
For a YA/kids book, this one was dense with content. The story had multiple turns and I didn't see it all coming.
I thought the character was believable and the way the relationships were portrayed was realistic.
I thought it took a while for the time-travel to come into play and honestly, I wasn't sure if it was going to be literal time-travel or some sort of euphemism, especially because it took so long.
I wasn't a huge fan ofhow it ended with the time-travel all magically working out well for everyone. I think it was a bit too *and now everything is better* especially with the new "present day" Al just disappearing and being replaced by our narrator Al.
I thought the audiobook narrator was excellent and it was great listening to a Geordie accent to add to the realism of the story.
Listened at 1.5x speed on the Libby app through my local library.
I thought the character was believable and the way the relationships were portrayed was realistic.
I thought it took a while for the time-travel to come into play and honestly, I wasn't sure if it was going to be literal time-travel or some sort of euphemism, especially because it took so long.
I wasn't a huge fan of
I thought the audiobook narrator was excellent and it was great listening to a Geordie accent to add to the realism of the story.
Listened at 1.5x speed on the Libby app through my local library.
rachf_77's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
carolyn0613's review against another edition
5.0
My 9 year old daughter read this. She said "it was brilliant. I loved the story. it was really funny." 5 stars from Elsie.
bored_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
shirleytupperfreeman's review
I really enjoyed this smart, mind-bending middle reader. Twelve year old Al, short for Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhury, receives a hamster and a letter from his deceased father for his birthday. The letter asks Al to find his father's time machine, go back to 1984 and make an alteration which will ultimately prevent Al's father's untimely death. Thus begins a lifetime's worth of adventure. Things go awry the first couple of tries but Al figures it out in the nick of time. I read the ARC - to be published in October.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Despite the cute cover and the whimsical title, this book isn’t simply a frivolous romp through time—it has a surprising amount of heart and even heartbreak. The story tells of Al, who receives a letter from his father four years after his father’s death. The letter reveals that Al can essentially bring his father back to life by traveling back in time and preventing an accident that happened all the way back when his father was twelve years old. Of course, at first Al is skeptical, but he soon discovers that it just might be true. Unfortunately, changing the past isn’t quite as simple as it seems, and Al finds himself questioning whether or not changing the past could destroy his future.
What Fed My Addiction:
Life in all its bittersweet glory.
There’s a lot going on in Al’s life (pre-time travel), and not all of it is rosy. Obviously, he’s been dealing with his father’s death, but he’s also adjusting to life with a new stepfather and stepsister, who he has trouble connecting with. Al’s stepfather wants to bond over sports, which Al is distinctly uninterested in. Al’s stepsister, Carly, just plain seems to dislike him most of the time and resents his presence in her life. On top of that, Al is dealing with some minor bullying at his new school, which makes adjusting even more difficult. Still, there are plenty of good relationships and positive aspects of Al’s life to balance out those rougher spots—Al’s Grandpa Byron and his mom are both very close to him and obviously want what’s best for him. I especially loved his grandpa, which brings me to my next point …
Grandpa Byron.
By far, my favorite character in the book is Grandpa Byron. Al’s grandpa is a fun and somewhat eccentric man. He’s Indian and has taught Al quite a bit about Indian traditions, religion and culture. But what makes Byron stand out most is the fact that he has employed ancient Indian memory methods and can remember just about everything—from trivia to the details of his life events. He even wrote a book about those memory methods. When Grandpa Byron suspects that Al might be dabbling in some dangerous territory, he encourages Al to read his book and teaches him that sometimes remembering the past can be the key to living in the present. The relationship between Al and Grandpa Byron is heartwarming, and I loved every minute that they were on the page together.
Details about time travel.
Even though this is a middle grade book, Welford doesn’t just leave out the scientific explanations of time travel or its ramifications. Since Al himself is only twelve, some of the details are hazy to him (and probably to some of the book’s readers as well), but he does gain a basic understanding of the theory of relativity—and kids reading this book will too! And then, of course, there are all of the quandaries that are created with time travel. I especially enjoyed the final quarter of the book when Al had to deal with the results of his time travels.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Expectations.
The only thing that kept me from completely adoring every moment of this story is the fact that I had a wrong impression going in, and this falsely set my expectations. I was expecting a light, funny read about a kid and a hamster and their madcap adventures through time. What I got was much more poignant than that—a book that seriously (but still middle grade appropriately) addresses the death of a loved one and difficult family relationships. The book also explored the realities of time travel and many cultural aspects of India that I wasn’t expecting. None of these things are bad. In fact, they’re quite good. It’s just that it took me a little while to adjust to the style of the book and realize that this wasn’t going to be a goofy, hilarious book. (Especially since the first few paragraphs actually were very humorous, which further cemented my expectations.) I also expected more of the book to take place in the past.
Geordie references.
I found myself a little confused with the many references to the Geordie accent and setting. I think part of the reason for this was because the first time Geordie was mentioned was in reference to Grandpa Byron, and I thought it was something Indian—or at least somehow foreign since Al himself didn’t seem to have it. Then when it was mentioned again, I was confused. When Al went back to 1985, the Geordie accent was even stronger and people said things like “me mam,” which I’d always associated with more Scottish or Irish accents, so I found myself confused again about where the book was set. Anyway, I wish that when they published the book in America, they would have added just a line or two to really make it obvious that the Geordie accent was the norm in northeastern England but that it had faded a bit over time. I figured it out, but I doubt my 12-year-old would. (I armed her with that information ahead of time, though.)
This book is a time traveling adventure, but it’s a lot more than meets the eye. It's a story about growing up and remembering the important moments in life. I give this one 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
Despite the cute cover and the whimsical title, this book isn’t simply a frivolous romp through time—it has a surprising amount of heart and even heartbreak. The story tells of Al, who receives a letter from his father four years after his father’s death. The letter reveals that Al can essentially bring his father back to life by traveling back in time and preventing an accident that happened all the way back when his father was twelve years old. Of course, at first Al is skeptical, but he soon discovers that it just might be true. Unfortunately, changing the past isn’t quite as simple as it seems, and Al finds himself questioning whether or not changing the past could destroy his future.
What Fed My Addiction:
Life in all its bittersweet glory.
There’s a lot going on in Al’s life (pre-time travel), and not all of it is rosy. Obviously, he’s been dealing with his father’s death, but he’s also adjusting to life with a new stepfather and stepsister, who he has trouble connecting with. Al’s stepfather wants to bond over sports, which Al is distinctly uninterested in. Al’s stepsister, Carly, just plain seems to dislike him most of the time and resents his presence in her life. On top of that, Al is dealing with some minor bullying at his new school, which makes adjusting even more difficult. Still, there are plenty of good relationships and positive aspects of Al’s life to balance out those rougher spots—Al’s Grandpa Byron and his mom are both very close to him and obviously want what’s best for him. I especially loved his grandpa, which brings me to my next point …
Grandpa Byron.
By far, my favorite character in the book is Grandpa Byron. Al’s grandpa is a fun and somewhat eccentric man. He’s Indian and has taught Al quite a bit about Indian traditions, religion and culture. But what makes Byron stand out most is the fact that he has employed ancient Indian memory methods and can remember just about everything—from trivia to the details of his life events. He even wrote a book about those memory methods. When Grandpa Byron suspects that Al might be dabbling in some dangerous territory, he encourages Al to read his book and teaches him that sometimes remembering the past can be the key to living in the present. The relationship between Al and Grandpa Byron is heartwarming, and I loved every minute that they were on the page together.
Details about time travel.
Even though this is a middle grade book, Welford doesn’t just leave out the scientific explanations of time travel or its ramifications. Since Al himself is only twelve, some of the details are hazy to him (and probably to some of the book’s readers as well), but he does gain a basic understanding of the theory of relativity—and kids reading this book will too! And then, of course, there are all of the quandaries that are created with time travel. I especially enjoyed the final quarter of the book when Al had to deal with the results of his time travels.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Expectations.
The only thing that kept me from completely adoring every moment of this story is the fact that I had a wrong impression going in, and this falsely set my expectations. I was expecting a light, funny read about a kid and a hamster and their madcap adventures through time. What I got was much more poignant than that—a book that seriously (but still middle grade appropriately) addresses the death of a loved one and difficult family relationships. The book also explored the realities of time travel and many cultural aspects of India that I wasn’t expecting. None of these things are bad. In fact, they’re quite good. It’s just that it took me a little while to adjust to the style of the book and realize that this wasn’t going to be a goofy, hilarious book. (Especially since the first few paragraphs actually were very humorous, which further cemented my expectations.) I also expected more of the book to take place in the past.
Geordie references.
I found myself a little confused with the many references to the Geordie accent and setting. I think part of the reason for this was because the first time Geordie was mentioned was in reference to Grandpa Byron, and I thought it was something Indian—or at least somehow foreign since Al himself didn’t seem to have it. Then when it was mentioned again, I was confused. When Al went back to 1985, the Geordie accent was even stronger and people said things like “me mam,” which I’d always associated with more Scottish or Irish accents, so I found myself confused again about where the book was set. Anyway, I wish that when they published the book in America, they would have added just a line or two to really make it obvious that the Geordie accent was the norm in northeastern England but that it had faded a bit over time. I figured it out, but I doubt my 12-year-old would. (I armed her with that information ahead of time, though.)
This book is a time traveling adventure, but it’s a lot more than meets the eye. It's a story about growing up and remembering the important moments in life. I give this one 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***