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maryknitterer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
5.0
naomi2012's review
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
brionymarshallauthor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I first saw this book shortly after getting my hamster and I knew I just had to read it. So imagine my delight when it became available on Prime Reading about a month later! It went straight to the top of my TBR.
I went into reading this book knowing I was not the intended audience, but hoping for a light hearted, easy read. (As light hearted as a children’s book about grief can be I guess?)
However I wasn’t prepared for the multiple instances of animal abuse mentioned and I’ll be honest, it was nearly enough to stop me reading the book altogether in those moments. I just didn’t think it was really necessary, especially for a book that has been designed to draw animal lovers in. You can show a mean bully in so many other ways and make me not like him. I also don’t like the thought of kids reading this. But maybe I’m just being old fashioned…
The redeeming factor for me though was that the author is very good at tapping into a reader’s emotions in other ways and it was those elements that kept me going. The excitement, the anxiety, the anticipation! I can’t forgive the previously mentioned, but remove those from the story and it’s a fast paced, thrilling adventure!
I went into reading this book knowing I was not the intended audience, but hoping for a light hearted, easy read. (As light hearted as a children’s book about grief can be I guess?)
However I wasn’t prepared for the multiple instances of animal abuse mentioned and I’ll be honest, it was nearly enough to stop me reading the book altogether in those moments. I just didn’t think it was really necessary, especially for a book that has been designed to draw animal lovers in. You can show a mean bully in so many other ways and make me not like him. I also don’t like the thought of kids reading this. But maybe I’m just being old fashioned…
The redeeming factor for me though was that the author is very good at tapping into a reader’s emotions in other ways and it was those elements that kept me going. The excitement, the anxiety, the anticipation! I can’t forgive the previously mentioned, but remove those from the story and it’s a fast paced, thrilling adventure!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty
shebephoebe's review
4.0
A solid middle grade adventure, and one I'll definitely recommend in future. Fun and unpredictable and my head hurts, because time travel always does that to me. Ridiculously short chapters, for some reason.
msliz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
libraryofmymind's review against another edition
I believe I am not the intended reader for this book as it is written for children/teens. I wasnt invested in the story but I'm sure the target audience would love it.
3iii8v's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book! I liked everything about it: the plot, the characters and especially the hamster. Actually, I read this book only because it was about hamsters - it wasn't exactly about hamsters they were barely mentioned but you get it - because I had a hamster who died a month ago and I still can't get over his death, so I wanted a book about hamsters. I found this one by mistake and it was the best mistake I've ever made! I'll definitely read more books by Ross Welford.
Highly recommend it!!
Highly recommend it!!
kidlitlove's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. I couldn't put it down! I am looking forward to finding Welford's other book. Students who are good readers will enjoy this book. It takes place in England and has quite a bit of English words and phrases that might need to be explained.
fabreadingclub's review against another edition
5.0
One word can explin this book - EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hdbblog's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, color me impressed! You've heard me praise the wonders of Middle Grade fiction and its wonderful authors many a time, and yet it never fails to stun me how much goodness comes out of the books written for this age group. Ross Welford has penned a gem here. Time Traveling With A Hamster simultaneously pulls together the importance of family, the grey areas we face when making hard decisions, the beauty (and issues) associated with being passionate about something, and even owning up to ones own mistakes. I am so thrilled to have read this, and can't recommend it enough!
Now, let me put out there that there are actually a fair amount of high end concepts in this book. As a reader who believes fully in not talking down to young readers, I was smitten with this. Al Chadhury's father was a brilliant man. One who wasn't afraid to dabble in science and theory, ultimately leading to his discovery of time travel. Through Al's travels in time, and the letters his father left behind, he learns so much about everything his dad was passionate about. There are brilliant descriptions of the theory of relativity, and examples that actually make it palatable for young minds. There's even discussions of memory devices. Suffice it to say, I was blown away by the sheer amount of lessons in here.
Better still, none of those lessons seemed to slow down the overall pace of the story. I admit that it took a few chapters to really get going, as some books do, but once I was immersed that was it. Al's quest to save his dad flew by. His brushes with danger, his quick thinking to get out of hairy situations, his realizations that he might not be as clever as the thought he was, all of it just blurred together into this gorgeous story that wouldn't let me go. The ending is perfection, especially for an MG read, and I couldn't have been happier.
Long story short? This is a must have for reading lists of all ages, but specifically I think this would be a wonderful book to share as a family. There are just so many good ideas caught up in here, I feel like it would be an amazing read to share between parents and their children. Ross Welford has written the type of story that transcends age groups, and that's no easy feat! Add this to your reading list. You won't regret it.
Now, let me put out there that there are actually a fair amount of high end concepts in this book. As a reader who believes fully in not talking down to young readers, I was smitten with this. Al Chadhury's father was a brilliant man. One who wasn't afraid to dabble in science and theory, ultimately leading to his discovery of time travel. Through Al's travels in time, and the letters his father left behind, he learns so much about everything his dad was passionate about. There are brilliant descriptions of the theory of relativity, and examples that actually make it palatable for young minds. There's even discussions of memory devices. Suffice it to say, I was blown away by the sheer amount of lessons in here.
Better still, none of those lessons seemed to slow down the overall pace of the story. I admit that it took a few chapters to really get going, as some books do, but once I was immersed that was it. Al's quest to save his dad flew by. His brushes with danger, his quick thinking to get out of hairy situations, his realizations that he might not be as clever as the thought he was, all of it just blurred together into this gorgeous story that wouldn't let me go. The ending is perfection, especially for an MG read, and I couldn't have been happier.
Long story short? This is a must have for reading lists of all ages, but specifically I think this would be a wonderful book to share as a family. There are just so many good ideas caught up in here, I feel like it would be an amazing read to share between parents and their children. Ross Welford has written the type of story that transcends age groups, and that's no easy feat! Add this to your reading list. You won't regret it.