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The Night I Borrowed Time

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The Night I Borrowed Time by Iqbal Hussain and Esh Alladi

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By Iqbal Hussain and Esh Alladi

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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

Reviews

10 Jul 2026

Adore this incredible story. Loved reading about the culture and history of India and the apartheid through the eyes of a young boy, his family and time travel. Beautifully written, adventurous and glorious relationships. Stunning!

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