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The Night I Borrowed Time

Author Iqbal Hussain
Narrator Esh Alladi
Publisher Penguin Random House Children's UK
Publish Date 1 January 2026
Run Time 6 hours and 23 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Magical realism, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Time travel, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Divorce, separation, family break-up.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Puffin.

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

© Iqbal Hussain 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

I loved it

Ross Welford, author of Time Travelling With a Hamster

Spectacular - beautifully woven, full of warmth, wit and wisdom, and characters who live on long after the last page is turned

Sophie Anderson, author of The House With Chicken Legs

A beautifully constructed time travel adventure that will break your heart and make it soar. It's funny, evocative, immersive and so sensitively written . . . Iqbal Hussain is an astonishing new voice. A triumph

Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of Hari Kumar: Ultimate Superstar

Hilarious and heartfelt . . . I loved it

Lui Sit, author of Land of the Last Wildcat

A refreshingly inventive and gorgeously written debut. I could not put it down

Clare Harlow, author of Tidemagic

A twisting time-travel story that bursts with heart and humanity

Phil Hickes, author of The Haunting of Aveline Jones

A funny, heartfelt adventure that delves right to the heart of family lore . . . A truly relatable, perfectly flawed, and utterly hilarious cast of characters

James Fox, author of The Boy in the Suit

Vividly written, heartwarming and highly original . . . A beautiful book that will take you on an emotional journey. I laughed, cried and read compulsively well into the night. It's a bold and poignant exploration of family, history and having to make difficult choices and accept the consequences. Packed with wisdom, warmth and humour, it's an astonishing book

Philippa Leathley, author of Inkbound

There's a reason why every review of The Night I Borrowed Time has gushed about it, and you can add this one to the list. A small miracle of a book . . . A must-read

Max Boucherat, author of The Last life of Lori Mills

It's a five-star, five-time-travelling-hourglass rating from me . . . Joyous. I loved this brilliantly written story, and so will you

Justin Davies, author of Haarville

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