Time travelling with a tortoise by Ross Welford

What a blast! This is the second book involving Al Chaudhury who has previously travelled through time with a hamster. In this book, Al tries to rectify a significant glitch in his life – the absence of his loved father and the new family that he now lives with because of his father’s death. Grandpa Byron, the wise and memory-proficient man who seems to understand the challenges of the space-time continuum and its disruption, adds his input in his inimitable way, but sadly loses his memory in an accident. But it is the journey back in time with Carly (his new step-sister) and Paulie (his mean bully-friend) to the pre-historic era where he encounters a tortoise and several threatening dinosaurs that causes the most disruption. Zig-zagging back and forth in time, Al must solve problems that he has created without appearing like someone who has completely lost his marbles and he weaves in and out of situations that make no sense.

This is an action-packed drama with heart. Al negotiates the death of his father and grandfather more than once and learns to deal with some very difficult situations. Intriguingly, the ‘science’ of the space-time continuum or multiverses does not really need to be understood to enjoy this journey, and there is humour frequently scattered through the back-and-forth narrative. This extraordinary adventure will be enjoyed by anyone who has read any of Ross Welford’s books, but particularly those who began the Time-travel journey with Al in Time Travelling with a Hamster.  Aimed at readers aged roughly 12 years old, it can also be offered to readers aged 9-14, and it will be guaranteed that they will lose track of time itself as they read this fun and intriguing story.

Themes: Time travel, Dinosaurs, Grief, Space-time continuum.

Carolyn Hull