On his twelfth birthday, Al get’s a hamster, and a private letter from his dad who died when he was eight. The letter comes with a risky request – one that could make Al’s dad Pye part of his life again if he succeeds. Back when Pye was young in the 1980s, he had an accident in a homemade go-kart that left a tiny piece of metal lodged high up his nose, which, decades later, decided to kill him. 

But Al’s dad was a clever bloke and figured out how to time travel. With knowledge of his imminent death, he wrote instructions for Al to follow to save his life: go into the hidden nuclear bunker under the house, use the time machine to travel back to 1984, and prevent the go-kart accident. 

Sounds simple enough, right? 

Think again.

Al’s mum has remarried, and now they live in a different house in another town with Steve and The Stepsister From Hell. But before he can even access the time machine, Al needs to sneak out without his family noticing, travel ten miles along the coast and break into his old house. 

With a suspicious Grandpa and a nosy stepsister, can Al save his dad and keep his hamster safe?

Set in northeast England, Al battles time travel paradoxes, technology troubles and an animal-torturing bully in this touching novel aimed at older children (but enjoyable for teens and adults too!)