The Night I Borrowed Time

Author: Hussain, Iqbal

Interest age: from c 8 years

Published on 1 January 2026 by Penguin Random House Children's UK (Puffin) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 304 pages
197 x 128 | 258g

A funny, heartbreaking and uplifting tale about family, bravery and living in the here and now, perfect for fans of Time Travelling With a Hamster and Wonder.

I’m going back in time to save this family.

Eleven-year-old Zubair is a seventh son. This means a LOT of big brothers. But when Zubair’s granny arrives from Pakistan and gives him a mysterious amulet, he discovers it means something else, too: he has inherited a gift. The seventh sons in his family have the ability to time-travel.

With his dad a shadow of his former self since his car accident, and his mum always tired and angry, Zubair has a genius idea. He’ll use time-travel to fix things between them.

But each trip comes at a cost. If he changes something small in the past, it can have a huge effect on his future. And if he gets it wrong, the results could be devastating . . .

'Spectacular' Sophie Anderson'I loved it' Ross Welford'Funny, exciting and tense . . . A wonderful, wonderful read' Phil Earle'Will break your heart and make it soar . . . A triumph' Rashmi Sirdeshpande'Witty and poignant' Louie Stowell'Refreshingly inventive and gorgeously written . . . I could not put it down' Clare Harlow'Astonishing . . . A beautiful book' Philippa Leathley'A small miracle of a book' Max Boucherat