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Best time travel and travel slip books for children

Best time travel and travel slip books for children
Time travel is a topic that will never cease to captivate kids' imaginations. Ancient Rome, Victorian Britain, where would you time travel to? We've collected some of our favourite time travelling and time slip novels for children that will keep their noses buried in their books and excited for the next chapter. Enjoy!
Diary of a Time Traveller by David Long

Diary of a Time Traveller by David Long

(£7.99, Wide Eyed Editions)

When Augustus falls asleep in class, Professor Tempo hands him a magic diary which takes him on a whistle-stop tour of history to meet some of the world's finest explorers, inventors, leaders, writers, composers and painters.

A Chase in Time by Sally Nicholls

A Chase in Time by Sally Nicholls

(£6.99, Nosy Crow)

The first in the In Time time slip series which takes Alex and Ruby to different historical periods, each time with a different task to perform before they can return to the present. Perfect action-packed adventures for KS1 readers.

The Children of Green Knowe Collection by Lucy M. Boston

The Children of Green Knowe Collection by Lucy M. Boston

(£8.99, Faber & Faber)

A modern classic, Green Knowe is a the story of seven year old Tolly's stay at the ancient house of his great-grandmother, where the present merges with the past and he meets children who were happy there centuries before.

A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively

A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively

(£6.99, HarperCollins Children's Books)

A modern classic and Whitbread Award winner. On holiday in Lyme Regis, Maria feels a strange connection to a Victorian embroidered picture and the girl who stitched it, Harriet. Is Maria catching a glimpse of Harriet's world or is she imagining things?

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer

(£6.99, Vintage Children's Classics)

Charlotte’s first day at boarding school is bewildering and lonely. Then, on her very first night, something mysterious starts to happen. She wakes up in the same bed, in the same dormitory, in the same school. But she has slipped forty years back in time...

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

(£6.99, OUP)

A classic, beloved story. Staying at his aunt and uncle's house for the summer, Tom resigns himself to endless weeks of boredom. Instead, in an enchanted thirteenth hour, he escapes into a garden of the past. 

The Boy Who Stepped Through Time by Anna Cidor

The Boy Who Stepped Through Time by Anna Cidor

(£5.99, Murdoch Books)

On holiday in France, Perry is transported back 1700 years to Roman times and forced to blend in as a slave to survive. Will he manage to find his way home or risk staying trapped in Villa Rubia with his new friends forever? 

TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow

TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow

(£7.99, Puffin)

The first book in the science fiction TimeRiders series. Moments before their deaths, three teenagers are plucked from their lives and recruited by an agency with only one purpose, to fix broken history and stop time travel from destroying the world...

The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

(£6.99, Well Said Press)

A time travel adventure for KS2 children, featuring a disappearing dog, a boat buried under a grassy mound and a tunnel to a secret lake. After moving into their new home, Stella and Tom discover that they are able to travel back in time to the same house and gardens almost 100 years earlier.  

Children of Winter

Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty 

(£5.94, Catnip Publishing Ltd)

Forced to take shelter in an abandoned barn, Catherine and her children find themselves transported to the time of the Black Death. A classic book full of intrigue and emotion, this is a must for lovers of time-travelling tales. 

Johnny and the Bomb

Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett 

(£5.99, Corgi Childrens)

Looking for a story with a good dose of humour and entertainment? You can't go wrong with Terry Pratchett. This is the third novel featuring Johnny Maxwell and his friends, and this time they are about to discover the messy implications of time travel. 

The Knights of Kitchen Table

The Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka

(£6.16, Puffin)

The first in a four-part series, The Knights of the Kitchen Table follows the time-travelling adventures of three boys who discover a magic book that gives them the power to travel back in time. 

A Traveller in Time

A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley 

(£6.55, Puffin)

Penelope is sent to stay with her great uncle and aunt in their farmhouse. Here, she discovers an astonishing secret: the farmhouse is a portal to the Tudor past! Penelope gets the chance to meet her ancestors and make friends, but she also gets caught up in a treasonous plan. 

The History Keepers

The History Keepers by Damian Dibben

(£6.55, Corgi Childrens)

Jake's parents are missing and they could be stuck anywhere, at any time in history. Jake's family are part of the History Keepers: a secret society protecting history from evil villains who wish to meddle with it. Join Jake  as he travels through time to find his parents. 

The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. Book 1)

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer 

(£6.50, Puffin)

Riley is a Victorian boy who finds himself whisked away into the twenty-first century, accused of murder and on the run. He gets caught up with the FBI and finds himself fleeing from an assassin. Excitement and adventure guaranteed! 

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