85. Time Travelling with a Tortoise

85. Time Travelling with a Tortoise. Ross Welford. 2024. 220 pages. [Source: Library] [MG speculative fiction, time travel, dinosaurs, 4 stars]

First sentence: You may remember that my dad died twice. As for me, I ended up having two twelfth birthdays, which sounds like a whole lot more fun. Trust me: it isn't.

Premise/plot: Al Chaudhury is back for another time travelling adventure. In the first book, he received a mysterious letter from his late father telling him of a time machine and giving him instructions of how to ultimately save his life. [The dad had had a head injury back in 1984.] His father's life was saved, though it took multiple attempts. Meanwhile, his old life--his original life--is GONE. His father is life, but, he's a stranger to his own life. His mother never remarried, and he doesn't have a stepsister. His dad is no longer *his* dad: gone is his love of computers, technology, science, physics, etc. His father is now obsessed with HAMSTERS. No one believes his time travel story, and, he has no memories of his 'new' life. Now in the second book, he has another choice to make: his grandfather recently had an accident one that has robbed him of his health and his memory. His grandfather now is asking him to rebuild his father's time machine and use it to prevent his accident. But life doesn't go as planned and soon Al and his friends find themselves running from DINOSAURS. Can he [and his friends] escape the dinosaurs and return to the present? And when they do, which present will it be? How many trips to the past will it take for things to get back to a 'normal' he can live with?

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. In some ways it was even more compelling than the first one perhaps. Though that might just be that the end of this one provides resolution for both books. Both books are essentially one continuing story.

Definitely recommended to readers who love adventurous time travel stories.

 

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