--- product_id: 48494756 title: "Time Travelling with a Hamster" price: "£9.26" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48494756-time-travelling-with-a-hamster store_origin: GB region: Great Britain --- # Time Travelling with a Hamster **Price:** £9.26 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Time Travelling with a Hamster - **How much does it cost?** £9.26 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48494756-time-travelling-with-a-hamster) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Time Travelling with a Hamster : Welford, Ross: desertcart.co.uk: Books Review: Interesting characters and a great plot! - In 2016, Ross Welford wrote “ Time Travelling with a Hamster “ a children's science-fiction and fantasy book. It was his first book and one of his most famous. It is about a twelve year old boy named Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhery; Al for short. Al lives with his stepdad Steve, his hamster Alan Shearer, his Mum and his step sister Carly in Northumberland, England. In this book Al travels back to 1984 to try and stop his dad's “accidental death. “ This book is filled with nail-biting action, cliffhangers and adventures full of adrenaline. Al’s character is very headstrong and brave because he likes to try new things. I know this because in the book he gets coordinates to a time machine and he is non-hesitant to try and travel back in time. As the story went on more characters made an introduction. We learnt more and more about them throughout the book. My favourite character is Al’s grandpa, Byron. I like him because he learnt to control his temper so he never gets angry. He also dresses in saffron robes to make himself stand out. I dislike Carly because she made a mean impression of grandpa Byron behind his back even though Al liked his smell. This makes the reader feel bad for Byron because he is always nice. I liked this book and recommend it to anyone from the age of 9-14. I would give it 4/5 stars. Brody - Dosbarth Eagles Review: Excellent from first word to last - I adored this book! It has that rare quality of being easy to read, yet extremely well-written, and a little bit deep in a way that has you thinking about it long after you have finished it. Like John Green's 'A Fault in Our Stars', it includes literary references in a very digestible way, particularly a genius presentation of TS Eliot's key lines from A Four Quartets. The basic premise is the big existential quantum physics "spacetime dimensional thingy" underpinning a funny, original, adventurous, moving, contemporary-yet-old-fashioned story, full of twists and turns, satisfying pay-offs and a wonderful end. The intricacies of family and inter-generational relationships are beautifully explored; I laughed and cried and thought about my own. The North East setting of the tale is a breath of fresh air too. It's the kind of book you want to devour to find out what happens, yet eke out at the same as you don't want it to be over. A rollicking good read for any age, definitely not "just" for tweens. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 32,133 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 9 in Time Travel Fiction for Children 17 in Fiction About Death & Dying for Children 67 in Children's Books on Difficult Discussions | | Book 1 of 2 | Al Chaudhury | | Customer reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,126) | | Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.54 x 19.81 cm | | ISBN-10 | 000815631X | | ISBN-13 | 978-0008156312 | | Item weight | 294 g | | Language | English | | Print length | 400 pages | | Publication date | 28 Jan. 2016 | | Publisher | HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks | | Reading age | 9 - 12 years, from customers | ## Images ![Time Travelling with a Hamster - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71KzdZ5Ji+L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting characters and a great plot! *by F***Y on 7 April 2022* In 2016, Ross Welford wrote “ Time Travelling with a Hamster “ a children's science-fiction and fantasy book. It was his first book and one of his most famous. It is about a twelve year old boy named Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhery; Al for short. Al lives with his stepdad Steve, his hamster Alan Shearer, his Mum and his step sister Carly in Northumberland, England. In this book Al travels back to 1984 to try and stop his dad's “accidental death. “ This book is filled with nail-biting action, cliffhangers and adventures full of adrenaline. Al’s character is very headstrong and brave because he likes to try new things. I know this because in the book he gets coordinates to a time machine and he is non-hesitant to try and travel back in time. As the story went on more characters made an introduction. We learnt more and more about them throughout the book. My favourite character is Al’s grandpa, Byron. I like him because he learnt to control his temper so he never gets angry. He also dresses in saffron robes to make himself stand out. I dislike Carly because she made a mean impression of grandpa Byron behind his back even though Al liked his smell. This makes the reader feel bad for Byron because he is always nice. I liked this book and recommend it to anyone from the age of 9-14. I would give it 4/5 stars. Brody - Dosbarth Eagles ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent from first word to last *by A***R on 17 January 2016* I adored this book! It has that rare quality of being easy to read, yet extremely well-written, and a little bit deep in a way that has you thinking about it long after you have finished it. Like John Green's 'A Fault in Our Stars', it includes literary references in a very digestible way, particularly a genius presentation of TS Eliot's key lines from A Four Quartets. The basic premise is the big existential quantum physics "spacetime dimensional thingy" underpinning a funny, original, adventurous, moving, contemporary-yet-old-fashioned story, full of twists and turns, satisfying pay-offs and a wonderful end. The intricacies of family and inter-generational relationships are beautifully explored; I laughed and cried and thought about my own. The North East setting of the tale is a breath of fresh air too. It's the kind of book you want to devour to find out what happens, yet eke out at the same as you don't want it to be over. A rollicking good read for any age, definitely not "just" for tweens. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A warm-hearted time-travelling adventure *by B***Y on 16 March 2016* I'm 43 and really enjoyed this book - so I would imagine it'd go down even better with the target age group. It's a perfect introduction to the concept of time travel for kids (plus, Ross Welford also throws in some great memory-recall tips, that I'm sure a lot of children will want to explore further). This is a very easy read with a hugely likable narrator (young Albert who, at 12, receives a letter from his dad (who died when Albert was 8) telling him there's a way for Albert to travel back in time and prevent his death). So, armed with a very thrown-together time machine and his hamster, Alan Shearer, Albert sets off to put right the past - but it doesn't all go according to plan. This was great fun to read - and, at points, Welford's easy prose and spot-on tone of voice put me in mind of Patrick Ness. I can see great things ahead for this writer, and I'll definitely be reading his next novel when it comes out. I'm also a big fan of books that make children think - and this one certainly will. It touches on a lot of life's big mysteries - but also those things that are important closer to home (such as family values, loyalty, love, friendship and hope). There was only one 'blooper' I spotted in the novel SPOLIER ALERT AHEAD - and maybe someone can help answer this (or maybe I've just not 'got' the time travel rule) . . . According to Welford's doppelganger effect, a person (or, indeed, object) cannot travel back to a time period they have previously inhabited. So they can't travel within their own timeline (hence why Albert's dad can't go back to save himself), nor can they re-visit a past timeline (pre-dating their birth) that they've visited before (in case they run into themselves). This is shown early on in the novel, when Albert's dad couldn't send a clock to the same point in time twice). Towards the end of the novel, Albert can't go back - so instead sends a note, and his hamster, who's been travelling with him all along. Hence my confusion - I couldn't work out how the hamster was able to go back to a timeframe it had already inhabited! A small point really which didn't affect my enjoyment of the book - but did cause me to scratch my head as to whether there was a continuity error, or I was just being dim! This is a lovely book though, and I could imagine it being well enjoyed by a young readership of 8-12 years old. ## Frequently Bought Together - Time Travelling with a Hamster - The 1,000-Year-Old Boy - What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48494756-time-travelling-with-a-hamster](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48494756-time-travelling-with-a-hamster) --- *Product available on Desertcart Great Britain* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-04-22*