time travel book series ya

19 Time Travel YA Books For Fans Of This Is How You Lose The Time War

June 11, 2024

By: Kellie Robinson

For readers enchanted by the lyrical prose and intricate time-traveling narrative of “This Is How You Lose the Time War,” the quest for similarly captivating stories can feel like traversing through the corridors of time itself. Fear not, fellow chrononauts, for this curated list unveils a trove of Time Travel YA books that will transport you across epochs and dimensions, weaving tales of love, adventure, and existential contemplation.

From the whimsical realms of fantasy to the gritty landscapes of dystopia, these 19 literary gems promise to ignite your imagination and leave you pondering the mysteries of time and fate. Join us as we embark on an exhilarating journey through the annals of temporal fiction, where every page holds endless adventure.

Time Travel YA Books

• If You Like Time Travel YA Books, Check Out These

What makes time travel YA books so popular?

Are there different types of time travel portrayed in ya books, how do time travel ya books explore themes beyond time manipulation.

From epic journeys through history to mind-bending explorations of parallel universes, these books promise to whisk readers away on exhilarating adventures where every page turn holds the promise of new discoveries and unforeseen consequences. So, gather your courage, adjust your temporal coordinates, and prepare to lose yourself in the pages of these captivating tales where time is both a foe and a friend.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children , an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Late one night, three otherworldly creatures appear and sweep Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe away on a mission to save Mr. Murray, who has gone missing while doing top-secret work for the government. They travel via tesseract–a wrinkle that transports one across space and time–to the planet Camazotz, where Mr. Murray is being held captive. There they discover a dark force that threatens not only Mr. Murray but the safety of the whole universe.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

“I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm.”

Dana’s torment begins when she suddenly vanishes on her 26th birthday from California, 1976, and is dragged through time to antebellum Maryland to rescue a boy named Rufus, heir to a slaveowner’s plantation. She soon realizes the purpose of her summons to the past: protect Rufus to ensure his assault of her Black ancestor so that she may one day be born. As she endures the traumas of slavery and the soul-crushing normalization of savagery, Dana fights to keep her autonomy and return to the present.

Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz

Seventeen-year-old Anaïs just wants tonight to end. As an outsider at the kingdom’s glittering anniversary ball, she has no desire to rub shoulders with the nation’s most eligible (and pompous) bachelors—especially not the notoriously roguish Prince Leo. But at the stroke of midnight, an explosion rips through the palace, killing everyone in its path. Including her.

The last thing Anaïs sees is fire, smoke, chaos . . . and then she wakes up in her bedroom, hours before the ball. No one else remembers the deadly attack or believes her warnings of disaster.

Not even when it happens again. And again. And again.

Time Traveling with a Hamster by Ross Welford

My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine and again four years later, when he was twelve.  On his twelfth birthday, Al Chaudhury receives a letter from his dead father. It directs him to the bunker of their old house, where Al finds a time machine (an ancient computer and a tin bucket). The letter also outlines a mission: travel back to 1984 and prevent the go-kart accident that will eventually take his father’s life. But as Al soon discovers, whizzing back thirty years requires not only imagination and courage, but also lying to your mom, stealing a moped, and setting your school on fire—oh, and keeping your pet hamster safe. 

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. 

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer

It’s natural to feel a little out of place when you’re the new girl, but when Charlotte Makepeace wakes up after her first night at boarding school, she’s baffled: everyone thinks she’s a girl called Clare Mobley, and even more shockingly, it seems she has traveled forty years back in time to 1918. In the months to follow, Charlotte wakes alternately in her own time and in Clare’s. And instead of having only one new set of rules to learn, she also has to contend with the unprecedented strangeness of being an entirely new person in an era she knows nothing about. Her teachers think she’s slow, the other girls find her odd, and, as she spends more and more time in 1918, Charlotte starts to wonder if she remembers how to be Charlotte at all. If she doesn’t figure out some way to get back to the world she knows before the end of the term, she might never have another chance.

23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde

By both society’s measure and her own, fifteen-year-old Zoe Mahar is pretty much a loser. Then one day she ducks into Spencerport Savings and Loan simply to get out of the rain—and witnesses a bank robbery gone horrifyingly wrong.   The good news is that Zoe has a unique ability: she can play back time and repeat events. But it’s not an unlimited deal—she can only jump 23 minutes, and her first playback creates an even more disastrous outcome. Zoe has only ten tries to get it right before this particular 23 minutes becomes irreversible. 

Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere

When Nephele has a terrible freshman year, she does the only logical thing for a math prodigy like herself: she invents a time travel app so she can go back and do it again (and again, and again) in this funny love story , Groundhog Day  for the iPhone generation.

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba

During arguably the worst week of Esso’s life, an accident knocks him into an incredible world—a place beyond space or time, where he can see glimpses of the past and future. But if what he sees there is true, he might not have much longer to live, unless he can use his new gift to change the course of history.

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future. In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time traveler from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in ancient Rome, Far’s very existence defies the laws of nature. All he’s ever wanted was to explore history for himself, but after failing his entrance exam into the government program, Far will have to settle for a position on the black market-captaining a time-traveling crew to steal valuables from the past.

Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. And she’s  alive , though currently trapped in the twelfth century, during the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Passing through the Dim, Hope enters a brutal medieval world of political intrigue, danger, and violence. A place where any serious interference could alter the very course of history. And when she meets a boy whose face is impossibly familiar, she must decide between her mission and her heart—both of which could leave Hope trapped in the past forever.     

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

Don’t forget the rule. No one can know what you are. What we are. You must never tell anyone about monsters.

Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers.

And the cute boy at work isn’t just a boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family.

To save herself and her family, Joan will have to do what she fears most: embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story… she is not the hero .

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth Shepherd’s sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte is ready for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon—the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi

Ren Mittal’s last memory in the year 1996 is getting on a bus to visit his mystery pen pal Georgia. When he wakes up in 2122, he thinks he might be hallucinating…he’s not!

Tech conglomerate Chronotech sponsors a time-travel program to help students in 2122 learn what history was really like…from real-life subjects who’ve been transported into the future…and Ren is one of them.

In 2122, Ren’s life in the 1990s is practically ancient history—and Ren’s not sure how to feel about that. On top of it all, he learns that his memory will be wiped of all things 2122 before he’s sent back to the ’90s. Adding to Ren’s complicated feels, he’s forming a crush on his student guide, Mars.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heiling

As the daughter of a time traveler, Nix has spent sixteen years sweeping across the globe and through the centuries aboard her father’s ship. Modern-day New York City, nineteenth-century Hawaii, other lands seen only in myth and legend—Nix has been to them all.

If there is a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship,  The Temptation , to any place and any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, the year before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life, her entire existence, is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past.

Timebound by Rysa Walker

When Kate Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is delusional. But it all becomes horrifyingly real when a murder in the past destroys the foundation of Kate’s present-day life. Suddenly, that medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from blinking out of existence.

Kate learns that the 1893 killing is part of something much more sinister, and her genetic ability to time travel makes Kate the only one who can fix the future. Risking everything, she travels back in time to the Chicago World’s Fair to try to prevent the murder and the chain of events that follows.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Violin prodigy Etta Spencer had big plans for her future, but a tragedy has put her once-bright career at risk. Closely tied to her musical skill, however, is a mysterious power she doesn’t even know she has. When her two talents collide during a stressful performance, Etta is drawn back hundreds of years through time. 

Genres Similar to Time Travel YA Books

While time travel remains a timeless fascination, there are other literary realms that offer similar thrills, complexities, and imaginative possibilities. In this section, we journey beyond the constraints of time’s arrow to discover narratives that bend reality, traverse alternate dimensions, and challenge our perceptions of existence. Join us as we delve into genres that blur the boundaries of space and time, offering readers a kaleidoscope of adventures and thought-provoking journeys.

YA Science Fiction

Why not branch out from time travel and explore what other wonderous stops are on the Sci-Fi expedition? Ranging from spaceships, aliens, advanced technologies, and more!

Funny Sci Fi Books

If you enjoy epic tales of adventure set against the backdrop of interstellar empires, space battles, and grand cosmic landscape – all with a lighter tone like found in Time Travel YA books, then funny sci fi books may be just up your street!

Dystopian Teen Books

Dystopian Teen Books often have similar themes to that of Time Travel YA Books. These books typically contain sci-fi elements but also boast plenty of other genres. Why not branch out?

Hard Science Fiction

If you’re drawn to stories grounded in scientific realism and rigorous speculation, then hard science fiction provides a wealth of intellectually stimulating reads. Authors like Kim Stanley Robinson and Greg Egan excel at crafting meticulously researched tales that explore the

Whether you’re looking for thrilling adventures, mind-bending speculative fiction, or thought-provoking explorations of the cosmos, these genres offer something for every fan of time travel YA books. So grab your spacesuit, buckle up, and prepare for an unforgettable journey beyond the stars!

Frequently Asked Questions

Time travel YA books often combine the allure of adventure with the complexity of altering historical events or exploring the consequences of time manipulation. They offer readers a chance to engage with both fantastical elements and relatable teenage protagonists.

Authors often employ various theories of time travel, including fixed timelines where events cannot be altered. Also timelines where changes in the past affect the future. Some stories also involve parallel universes or alternate realities.

Many time travel YA books delve into themes of identity, belonging, and the consequences of one’s actions. They often explore the idea of whether individuals can truly change the course of history or if fate is inevitable.

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YA Books About Time Travel and the Multiverse

02.27.2020 by Jen Ryland // 5 Comments

Do you love stories about characters moving between different worlds or time periods? Books like this were super-popular around 2012 but it seems like this trend might be coming back! Check out my list of YA Books About Time Travel and the Multiverse , including new titles for 2019 and 2020!

New for 2019 and 2020!

The Between by David Hofmeyr – (2020) a girl’s friend disappears and she has to search for her through multiple worlds.

Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins (2019) – features Dorothy in 1013 and Ash in 2077.

Twisted Fates by Danielle Rollins (2020) – the sequel to Stolen Time.

Malice by Pintip Dunn – a voice from the future tells a girl that the boy she loves will soon wipe out two-thirds of the population with a virus. (Wow, that’s kind of topical…)

Invictus by Ryan Graudin – (2017) a time-traveling space gladiator.

Jane Unlimited by Kristen Cashore (2017) a Gothic mystery with a multiverse twist.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (2016)

A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab (2015) – a magician can travel between parallel versions of London.

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini (2014) – a teen discovers she is a witch in a parallel universe

A Thousand Pieces of You (2014) by Claudia Grey

Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke – (2014) a romantic thriller about a girl who can travel between worlds.

Tandem by Anna Jarzab (2013)

Parallel by Lauren Miller – (2013) high school senior Abby gets to see two versions of her future.

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (2013)

Pivot Point by Kasie West – (2013) when Addison’s parents tell her they’re splitting, she’s able to see her life living with each of them.

Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick (2013)

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth – (2012) after Cam’s girlfriend dies, he enters a parallel world in which she’s still alive.

Tempest by Julie Cross (2012)

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (2012) Bennett in 2012 falls for Anna in 1995.

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski (2012)

Do you have any books to add? Please tell me in comments and I will add your recommendations (with credit!)

About Jen Ryland

Over 12 years of book blogging and reviewing, I have read over 1500 books. A fair and honest reviewer who loves book discussions, I'm here to help you find a book you'll love to read AND give you a place to talk about it and ask questions. Find me on Instagram and Pinterest as @jenryland!

So, the lesson here is that I don’t really read many time traveling books. I did read Time Between Us and Passenger, and I liked both. I was a fan of the Into the Dim books too. I am sad it doesn’t appear that the series will get wrapped up, but the author brought us to two interesting time periods.

I do read them but I’m picky about them!

Definitely not a fan of this genre lol

I feel like I can’t trust anything that’s happening or it can’ be fixed or erased by a time change.

I have a lot of blogger friends that love them though.

Karen @ For What It’s worth

Haha that’s funny. Yes, that is true!

I love time travel (Doctor Who is one of my favourite tv series after all) but I struggle with multiverse and time travel YA books a lot, for some reason. I thought Dissonance was okay. I think in the end my favourite time travel books have been adult. Recently I read The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz and Kindred by Octavia E Butler and I think they both did time travel well!

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Exploring History's Greatest Adventures throughout time!

25 Time Travel Novels and series for Children, Middle Grade, and Young Adult

Time Travel Is An Exciting Science Fiction/Fantasy Genre Where The Plot Possibilities Are Truly Endless And They Can Sometimes Be As Educational As They Are Entertaining. Of course, not all time travel books are a set up to teach kids about a specific time period. Many are simply a fun fantasy. They’re the perfect gateway to historical fiction – especially if the child enjoys the time period.   Here are our picks for kid-friendly, time-travel books – some old, some new – including series and stand-alone novels.   A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. This book only makes the list because people would expect to see it. But the brother and sister characters do not travel “back” in time. Instead, they travel through space and time, from galaxy to galaxy in search of their father – perhaps to future worlds? For ages 9 – 12.   Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. There are over 60 books in this series where siblings Jack and Annie go on adventures throughout history experiencing dinosaurs and sabertooth tigers, Vikings, Egyptian Pharoahs and more. These make great early reader books. For ages 5 – 8.   The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by M. J. Thomas is an adventure-packed chapter book series that follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history. For ages 6 – 9.   Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Ranger in Time #1of 13) by Kate Messner. Ranger is a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always saves the day! For ages 7 – 10 years   World’s Worst Time Machine (Volume 1) by Dustin Brady. From the bestselling author of Trapped in a Video Game series, Brady’s laugh-out-loud sense of humor and daring adventure will keep even the most reluctant reader wanting to turn the pages of this new series. For ages 8 – 11.   The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis. Siblings Stella and Tom go back 100 years from their London home to solve a mystery in this page-turning instant classic. For ages 8 – 11.   George Washington’s Spy (Time Travel Adventures trilogy) by Elvira Woodruff. Ten-year-old Matt Carlton and six friends are accidentally swept back in time–to Boston in 1776! The British now occupy the city, and redcoat guards are everywhere! For ages 7 – 10.   One if By Land, Two if By Submarine by Eileen Schnabel. When Paul Revere is kidnapped by a time traveler determined to change the outcome of the American Revolution, thirteen-year-old Kep Westguard is sent to Boston, 1775, to take his famous midnight ride. For ages 10+.   Displaced: Both Feet in the Game by JJ Carroll. Seventh grader Nikola and his friends travel back 100 years and must travel over 4,500 miles with no money, no means of transportation and a sinister FBI agent on their heels. For ages 8 – 12.   Laurella Swift and the Keys of Time by Allison Parkinson. Laurella Swift and the Keys of Time is the first in a new series of Laurella Swift adventures. The historical fantasy takes middle-grade readers on a rip-roaring escapade to the court of Cyrus the Great. For ages 7 – 12.   The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs. On a family trip to Paris, Greg Rich’s parents disappear. They’re not just missing from the city—they’re missing from the century. So, Greg does what any other fourteen-year-old would do: He travels through time to rescue them. For ages 8 – 12.   Anachronist : The Infinity Engines series (Book 1) by Andrew Hastie. Travelling into the past using the timelines of ancient artefacts, the Oblivion Order explore the forgotten centuries, ones that never made it into the history books. They make subtle adjustments to the past – saving us from oblivion in the future. Young Adult.   Glitch by Laura Martin. Glitchers are people who travel through time to preserve important historical events. Regan Fitz finds a letter from his future self, warning about an impending disaster that threatens him and everyone he knows. For ages 10+.   The Rhythm of Time by Questlove. Seventh grader Rahim Reynolds goes back to 1997 and learns what every time traveler before him has: Actions in the past jeopardize the future. For ages 10 – 12.   Stealing the Sword (Time Jumpers series Book 1) by Wendy Mass. Aimed at newly independent readers with easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page. For ages 6 – 9.   Justice for Joe by Dianna Dorisi Winget. When twelve-year-old Birch first learns the rare clock gene she inherited from her grandmother enables her to time travel, she’s not excited–she’s terrified. For ages 8 – 12.   The Hat, George Washington, and Me! By Gregory O. Smith. Part time travel, part crazy school, full-time fun! “Hey Mom, there’s a patriot in my cereal box!” A fast-moving mystery adventure for children ages 8-14.   The Eye of Ra by Ben Gartner . For readers graduating from the Magic Tree House series and ready for intense action, dive into this middle grade novel rich with meticulous historical detail. For ages 8 – 12.   The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution : A Handbook for Time Travelers by Jonathan W Stokes. If you had a time travel machine and could take a vacation anywhere in history, this is the only guidebook you would need! For ages 8 – 12.   Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt by Linda Bailey. Book 1 of the series. All twins Josh and Emma want to do is get out of the creepy Good Times Travel Agency where their little sister, Libby, has led them. But the peculiar shop owner encourages them to open one of his guidebooks first — and they suddenly find themselves transported back in time.   The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things start happening. Has the Egypt Game gone too far? For ages 8 – 12.   Greg’s First Adventure in Time (Book 1 of 5) by C. M. Huddleston. Archaeology, time travel, and a moose hunt combine to force 12-year-old Greg to face his fears and find his strengths. Greg explores a world that existed more than 3,000 years ago with his new Native American friend Hopelf. While Greg learns about Native American ways of life, how to hunt and fish, and just to survive, he is always searching for a way back home. For ages 10+.   The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer. Gideon, Peter, and Kate are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery. For ages 8 – 12.   Found (Book 1 of 8) by Margaret Peterson Haddix. One night a plane appeared out of nowhere, the only passengers aboard: thirty-six babies. As soon as they were taken off the plane, it vanished. Now, thirteen years later, two of those children are receiving sinister messages, and they begin to investigate their past. Their quest to discover where they really came from leads them to a conspiracy that reaches from the far past to the distant future–and will take them hurtling through time. For ages 10+.   The History Mystery Kids: Fiasco in Florida (Book 1 of 10) by Daniel Kenney. Professor Abner Jefferson is missing. His children watched him get sucked into a book. Now they must find him. By going back… through History! For ages 8 – 10.

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Secrets of the Nile: A YA time travel adventure in Ancient Egypt (Book 1 of The Time Travel Chronicles series) Kindle Edition

• Book 1 of 5 The Time Travel Chronicles
• Print length 310 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publication date July 18, 2023
• Reading age 13 - 18 years
• File size 3828 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

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• First 3 $8.37
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Editorial Reviews

"YA readers will enjoy the thrilling adventure inside the pharaoh's tomb, which read like a fast-paced movie. Personally, my favorite aspect of the story was the banter (and wonderful chemistry) between Maddy and Riley. I love that this first book explored their friendship, with a hint of something more. And I'm excited because there are 5 more books in the series to watch this budding relationship blossom." Beth C. Greenberg, Author of the Cupid's Fall series.

"Secrets of the Nile is an absolute delight! From the wonderfully engaging characters (Riley and Madison, as well as the various supporting players in Egypt and Sydney) to the high-stakes conflicts to the pacing and well-drawn descriptions of ancient Egypt, every aspect of the author's debut novel sings. It's the type of book you don't want to put down because you can't wait to see what happens next--either in the future, present, alternate present, or the past." Lisa Fox, award-winning author of Core Truths.

"I have a love for all things Ancient Egypt, and this was a wonderful ride through history. The characters and story are engaging, and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The writer imparts information on history and science while taking us along on a rollicking good adventure. She engages our senses with sights and smells, making the reader feel like we are a part of the land of ancient Egypt." Patsy Pratt-Herzog, Award-winning short fiction writer

"I have always wondered what could happen if we ever changed something in history. The ramifications of just a word here or there or even helping them improve their lifestyle and how it could impact our lives is an eye-opener. It's the simple things in life that can change the world as we know it." Cathy Missine, Poet and Short Fiction Writer

About the Author

Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C43MZR47
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Salty Dog Press; 1st edition (July 18, 2023)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 18, 2023
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 3828 KB
• Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
• #9 in Teen & Young Adult Ancient Civilization Fiction eBooks
• #27 in Teen & Young Adult Ancient Historical Fiction
• #60 in Teen & Young Adult Historical Romance eBooks

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A peek inside Secrets of the Nile

Paulene T Turner

The vibe of Secrets of the Nile

About the author, paulene turner.

Paulene Turner is the author of The Time Travel Chronicles, a 6-book YA time travel series. It took her over 10 years to complete the six books, of almost 600,000 words, covering five separate historical periods.

Her short stories have appeared in anthologies and magazines in the US, UK and Australia. She also writes and directs short plays for the Short and Sweet play festival in Sydney.

A former journalist in the UK and Australia, she now lives in Sydney.

She loves being a writer, called upon to imagine other worlds so completely. Staring through the kitchen window, she sees not the garden in need of weeding, the neighbour's bulging bins, but instead pictures medieval tournaments, pirates lashed to the rigging on stormy seas, a sun setting behind an alien skyline.

And the best part, while she works, she listens to the soft snoring of her two pugs--Holmes and Watson--sleeping in a basket beside her.

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Customers find the book fun to read and a wonderfully thought-out adventure. They also find the characters relatable and fun to get to know. Readers praise the author as thoughtful and impart information on history and science while taking them along on a rollicking good.

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Customers find the plot wonderful, intricately designed, and clever. They also say the book is a wonderful ride through history.

"...The writing was flawless and the storyline intriguing . The characters were so authentic! I have four of Pauline Turner's books and love them all...." Read more

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Booklist Queen

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37 Mind-Bending Time Travel Books

Jump into the best time travel books and discover the mind-bending scenarios only possible in the best time travel fiction.

The other night at dinner, I was asking my kids whether they would like to travel to the past or the future. The myriad replies included visiting the dinosaurs and flying in a spaceship across the galaxy.

The linear nature of our lives means that we can only imagine a different way of experiencing time. The best time travel books use this impossibility to create mind-bending scenarios for us to contemplate.

Today, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite time travel books, along with a whole slew of intriguing books with time travel to fire up your imagination.

Have fun exploring the twisty what-if scenarios in these time traveling books and let me know your favorites in the comments!

Don’t Miss a Thing

Best Time Travel Books

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Audrey niffenegger.

When you think of the best books about time travel, Audrey Niffenegger’s debut novel comes to mind. In this classic love story, art student Clare and librarian Henry try for a sense of normalcy as Henry time shifts through their life. Henry has Chrono-Displacement Disorder; he unexpectedly gets pulled to important emotional moments in his past and future life. A mind-bending romance that is a must-read for any fan of time travel books.

Publication Date: 2003 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Stephen King

Stephen King seems to write amazingly in every genre, and time travel fiction is no different. In 11/22/63 , English teacher Jake Epping discovers that this friend Al has a portal in his diner storeroom that leads back to 1958. As Jake emerges into the past, he starts by trying to change the life of one of his students and eventually concocts a plan to prevent President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. But playing with time always has unintended consequences.

Publication Date: 8 November 2011 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Diana Gabaldon

One of the ultimate time travel romance books, Gabaldon’s Outlander series creates a sweeping love triangle. Recently returned from serving as a WWII nurse, Claire Randall decides to take a second honeymoon with her husband. When she steps through a standing stone in the British Isles, she finds herself transported back to 1743 in war-torn Scotland. As Claire allies with the great warrior James Fraser, she must decide between the love of two completely men in two completely different times.

Publication Date: 1 June 1991 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Blake Crouch

America has fallen victim to False Memory Syndrome – a disease where victims are driven mad by memories of a life they never lived … or have they? It’s up to NYPD cop Barry Sutton and neuroscientist Helena Smith to figure out how to stop this epidemic, even as reality is shifting all around them. You’ll have a hard time putting this one down, so you’ll certainly want to pick up a copy before the film adaptation hits Netflix.

Publication Date: 11 June 2019 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart turton.

On the 19th anniversary of their son’s murder, Lord and Lady Hardcastle throw a party with the same guests as that fateful day long ago. At 11 pm, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered. In a Groundhog Day -esque fashion, Aidan Bishop must relive this day 8 times, but from the perspective of eight different witnesses. His task: identify Evelyn’s murderer, or do it all over again. Evelyn Hardcastle will throw you into a brilliant game of Clue as you see the same events from multiple viewpoints. Just ignore the why this happening and jump right into the mystery come to life, with plenty of fun twists and turns along the way.

Publication Date: 8 February 2018 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Save for Later

Recent Books on Time Travel

Wrong Place Wrong Time

Gillian mcallister.

Just after midnight, Jen is watching out the window for her teenage son Todd to come home when she sees him murder an older man right outside their house. With her son in custody, Jen goes to be in despair but wakes to find the day starting all over again. Caught in a time loop, Jen must find out the impetus for the murder and try anything she can to stop it.

Publication Date: 2 August 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

One Italian Summer

Rebecca serle.

One Italian Summer is a time travel novel about grieving and understanding a parent. When her mother dies just before their planned mother-daughter trip to Italy, Katy decides to still spend the summer exploring the Amalfi coast as she grieves. Magically, Katy meets a younger version of her mother, giving Katy a whole new perspective on her mother as a person.

Publication Date: 1 March 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

This Time Tomorrow

Emma straub.

On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice feels satisfied with everything in her life except her distant relationship with her father. When she wakes up the next day, she finds she has been transported back in the past to her 16-year-old self. Now with the eyes of an adult, Alice sees it as an opportunity to connect with her father and correct past mistakes.

Publication Date: 17 May 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

One Last Stop

Casey mcquiston.

One of the most anticipated time travel books of 2021 comes from the author of Red, White & Royal Blue . Cynical August doesn’t believe life will ever change until she develops a crush on a girl from her subway commute. Jane is perfect and the highlight of August’s every day. But when August and Jane finally meet, August realizes that somehow Jane actually lives in the 1970s. A time-defying romance perfect for your summer reading list.

Publication Date: 1 June 2021 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Faye, Faraway

Helen fisher.

Faye is a happily married mother of two who still feels the ache of the loss of her mother as a child. When she suddenly finds herself transported back in time, she has the opportunity to befriend her mother. Faye, Faraway is a slow heartfelt debut novel that spends most of the story contemplating the psychology of time travel, faith, and the relationship between parents and children.

Publication Date: 26 January 2021 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Time Travel Books for Your Reading List

The Midnight Library

In the Midnight Library, there are two books – one book for the life you’ve lived and one for the one you could have lived. After attempting suicide, Nora Seed finds herself there. Now she must decide which book to choose from. What if she had made different choices? Would her life have been any better? All of us have regrets, and by allowing Nora the possibility to redo her life, Haig does a brilliant job showing how we can never predict the outcomes of our choices. A thoroughly enjoyable read that intimately talks about the pain depression and second-guessing has on our life.

Publication Date: 29 September 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In Five Years

Dannie Cohan knows exactly where she’ll be in five years – until the night of her engagement. In her post-engagement bliss, she has a vision of herself in five years engaged to someone else. She doesn’t think much of it, until years later when she finds he is dating her best friend. While the premise sounds light-hearted, partway through the story, beach read goes out the window and thought-provoking steps in. You’ll feel compelled to know if the vision came true and surprised at how well Serle counters your expectations.

Publication Date: 10 March 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Rainbow Rowell

Sitcom writer Georgie McCool knows her marriage is struggling, but she can’t pass up the chance to pitch the pilot show she’s been dreaming about for years, even if it means missing Christmas. While he’s away, she finds that calling Neal on the landline results in her talking to a younger version of her husband in the days just before he proposed. With the time-traveling communication messing with her head, Georgie recalls her courtship with Neal and ponders what to do about her marriage.

Publication Date: 8 July 2014 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Oona Out of Order

Margarita montimore.

On New Year’s Eve in 1982, Oona Lockhart is faced with a life-changing decision: travel abroad to continue her studies in London or pursue fame as a member of her boyfriend’s rock band. As the clock strikes midnight and Oona turns 19, she faints and wakes up as a fifty-year-old. Thus begins the mixed-up time travel life of Oona, where every year she gets to randomly experience her life at different stages. One of the best recent books with time travel, Oona Out of Order explores if we can change our destiny while having fun highlighting the differences between decades.

Publication Date: 25 February 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In a Holidaze

Christina lauren.

With her love life in shatters, Maelyn Jones is devastated to find this will be her last Christmas spent with her family at the snowy Utah cabin. As she drives away, a car crash sends her into a time loop to relive the same Christmas vacation over and over again. Now she must figure out how to end the time loop so she can live happily ever after. A lighthearted romance with a Groundhog Day premise perfect for your holiday reading list.

Publication Date: 6 October 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Classics Books on Time Travel

Octavia E. Butler

In 1976, Dana, a young African-American writer, finds herself inexplicably sent back through time to a pre-Civil War plantation in Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy, she finds herself back in Los Angeles. Over and over, Dana finds herself returning to the plantation, which she realizes is where her ancestors lived. As her stays in the past become longer, Dana becomes entangled in the plantation and is forced to make harder and harder choices to survive. Octavia Butler’s genre-bending novel is a must-read among time travel books.

Publication Date: June 1979 Amazon | Goodreads

The Time Machine

H. g. wells.

In this classic story which pioneered time travel fiction and coined the word “time machine,” the time traveler pulls a lever and transports himself 800,000 years in the future. On a dying Earth, he meets two strange races – the innocent childlike Eloi and the Morlocks, brutal underground dwellers. Highlighting class conflict, The Time Machine warns against the assumption of the inevitable progress of mankind.

Publication Date: 1895 Amazon | Goodreads

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

After being hit over the hit, Hank Morgan wakes up to find himself miraculously in King Arthur’s Camelot. The nineteenth-century mechanic sets out to modernize the medieval era with electricity and gunfire, quickly creating chaos. Mark Twain’s imaginative satire sharply criticizes his contemporary culture, with interesting parallels to our world today. 

Publication Date: 1889 Amazon | Goodreads

Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt vonnegut.

How to describe Slaughterhouse-Five? In this postmodern anti-war science fiction World War II novel, the unreliable narrator tells the tale of Billy Pilgrim, a time-traveling man being held in an alien zoo. Through flashbacks, we relive Billy’s capture during the Battle of the Bulge, life as a POW working in a slaughterhouse (Slaughterhous #5) during the Dresden firebombing, and his subsequent life after the war. If you can get past Vonnegut’s strange style, his discussion of fate, free will, and death earn it its place among the best classic time travel books. For, “so it goes.”

Publication Date: 31 March 1969 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The End of Eternity

Isaac asimov.

Andrew Harlan is an Eternal, tasked with sifting through past and present centuries to monitor progress and, when necessary, changing things to ensure things play out how his organization wishes. When Andrew falls in love with a non-eternal, he must decide where his loyalties lie and at what cost his happily ever after ending is worth.

Publication Date: 1955 Amazon | Goodreads

Interesting Time Travel Novels

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Amal el-mohtar and max gladstone.

If you love more literary books on time travel, you’ll want to pick up this award-winning novella. In a world devastated by war for generations, two rival agents, known simply as Red and Blue, are tasked with securing the best possible outcome for her side. When an unlikely correspondence sparks between them, their romantic bond threatens to change both the past and the future.

Publication Date: 16 July 2019 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Night Watch

Terry pratchett.

As policeman Sam Vimes chases notorious serial killer Carcer, they are both caught up in a magical storm. Unexpectedly finding themselves in the past, Carcer ends up killer Vimes’s mentor John Keel. Now on the eve of Revolution, Vimes must impersonate Keel and act as the mentor to his younger self while trying to capture the killer without ruining the timeline. Although the 29th book in the Disc World series, Night Watch can be read as a standalone novel.

Publication Date: 2002 Amazon | Goodreads

Sea of Tranquility

Emily st. john mandel.

In 1912, a young man hears a violin playing in the Canadian woods, an event that a videographer captures in the present day. Two hundred years later, a famous writer includes a similar haunting scene in one of her books. Decades later, Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is hired to investigate this anomaly in time, one that has the potential to disrupt the universe’s timeline.

Publication Date: 5 April 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Dream Daughter

Diane chamberlain.

In 1970, Caroline Sears is devastated to learn her newborn daughter has a heart defect that cannot be cured. Except, her brother-in-law declares there is a cure. Hunter claims to be a time traveler from the future who promises that if she jumps to 2001, she can have fetal heart surgery and save her baby. Now Carly must decide what she believes and whether she should take a leap of faith.

Publication Date: 2 October 2018 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Accidental Time Machine

Joe haldeman.

After dropping out of grad school, Matt Fuller finds himself in a dead-end job working as a research assistant at MIT. When he accidentally creates a time machine while studying gravity and electromagnetic forces, Matt assumes he has nothing to lose by taking a jump in time. Every time each jumps, he travels further into the future, getting tangled into more and more complicated situations and hoping that with one more jump he can return to his present.

Publication Date: 2007 Amazon | Goodreads

Michael Crichton

In France, an archaeology professor leads a group of graduate students researching two fourteenth-century towns. When Professor Johnston flies back to America to handle their shady sponsors, the students begin to unearth his modern-day possessions buried in the ruins at the dig site. Quickly they are whisked away to a secret site and told that they must travel back to the time of knights if they are to save their professor.

Publication Date: 16 November 1999 Amazon | Goodreads

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Laurie viera rigler.

A Jane Austen-obsessed woman wakes up one day to find herself back in Regency England. Now Courtney must pretend to be the Miss Jane Mansfield whose life she seems to be inhabiting. All while dealing with the inconveniences of the nineteenth century and handling chaperones, seducers, and unwanted marriage proposals. When she meets the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, Courtney is flooded with Jane’s memories of him and wonders if Jane might have judged him wrongly.

Books About Parallel Universes

Dark Matter

I know parallel universe stories aren’t quite the same as time travel, but they are so irresistibly fun I couldn’t help but highlight a few. Walking home one night, Jason Dessen is kidnapped and forced into an alternate reality. He’s been thrust into the multiverse, a world where instead of marrying his wife when she got pregnant with their child, he single-mindedly persevered on with his research. Although the middle was a bit slow, Crouch’s premise will boggle your mind and the story concludes with a thrilling finale.

Publication Date: 26 July 2016 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

Josie silver.

After the death of her fiance, Lydia is struggling to cope. Thanks to an experimental sleeping pill, she gets a chance to live the life she would have had with her fiance in her dreams. However, living in her dream life is messing with her waking life. Which life should she choose? Silver does an excellent job showing how much grief has changed Lydia and how dangerous it is to interfere with the grief process.

Publication Date: 3 March 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Haruki Murakami

If you are craving something a bit different, you might want to try this mind-bending work from famed Japanese author Haruki Murakami. In 1984, Aomame notices strange discrepancies and finds she has entered a parallel version of her life, 1Q84. Quickly caught up in a religious cult, Aomame wonders what is truly real. Meanwhile, ghostwriter Tengo accepts an assignment to rewrite a book, a decision that changes his whole life and leads him closer to Aomame.

Publication Date: 29 May 2009 Amazon | Goodreads

Dean Koontz

After his wife Michelle left years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has tried his best to make a good life for him and his seven-year-old daughter, Amity. One day, the local eccentric leaves a mysterious device at their house, warning them they must never use it. Once Jeffy and Amity realize it allows you to travel between parallel universes, they question what life would have been like if Michelle hadn’t left. But other people are after the device, wanting to use it for their own nefarious purposes.

Publication Date: 6 October 2020 Amazon | Goodreads

Again Again

E. lockhart.

While recovering from a devastating breakup and dealing with her brother’s opioid addiction, Adelaide Buchwald is spending her summer as a dog walker. When Adelaide meets a cute new boy, you get to see all the possibilities of how her life could unfold that summer – what was versus what might have been. 

Publication Date: 2 June 2020 Amazon | Goodreads

Time Travel Books for Kids and Teens

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Ransom riggs.

One of the most popular time travel books for teens is Ransom Riggs’s unique young adult series that mixes vintage photography with fantastical storytelling. Jacob never quite believed his grandfather’s outlandish tales of a magical orphanage. When Jacob starts having nightmares about the stories, his parents send him to the remote island in Wales to show him that there is nothing to fear. Instead, he meets a collection of peculiar and potentially dangerous children caught in a time loop.

Publication Date: 7 June 2011 Amazon | Goodreads

Kerstin Gier

Although sixteen-year-old Gwen’s family is quite eccentric, she has been able to live a normal life as a London teenager. Until she finds out that the time-traveling gene which runs in her family didn’t skip over her as everyone thought. Not having been inducted into the mysteries of time travel, Gwen is unprepared for the unexpected jumps into the past and must rely on her time-traveling counterpart Gideon, a stunningly gorgeous and insufferable know-it-all teenage boy.

Publication Date: 2009 Amazon | Goodreads

Before I Fall

Lauren oliver.

Another popular choice among YA time travel books is Lauren Oliver’s story of a popular high schooler caught in a time loop. At Samantha Kingston’s high school, February 12th is “Cupid Day,” a day of valentines and roses and a big party. At the end of the night, Samantha dies in a terrible accident, only to wake up the next day to relive it all over again. As Samantha learns that small changes can make dramatic differences, she is forced to finally give serious thought to her actions.

Publication Date: 14 February 2010 Amazon | Goodreads

The Time Travelers

Linda buckley-archer.

Originally published as Gideon the Cutpurse , Linda Buckley-Archer’s time travelers series follows Peter Schock and Kate Dyer. After a brush with an antigravity machine, they find themselves back in 1763. There the two children meet ally with Gideon, a local street urchin, to get back the machine from Gideon’s nemesis, the evil Tar Man.

Publication Date: 5 June 2006 Amazon | Goodreads

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

J. k. rowling.

How can I end a list of time travel novels without the Harry Potter time travel book? And no, I don’t mean the poorly written sequel Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . In his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter’s life is seriously curtailed as the infamous killer Sirius Black is on the loose and bent on killing our favorite boy wizard.

Publication Date: 8 July 1999 Amazon | Goodreads

What are Your Favorite Time Travel Books

What do you think? Would you want to jump to the future or visit the past? What time travel novels am I missing from my list? As always, let me know in the comments!

More Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Lists:

• 40 Standalone Fantasy Books When You’re Tired of Series
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• 42 Imaginative Fantasy YA Books to Dive Into
• 25 Dystopian Books for Teens to Read
• 23 Startling Climate Fiction Novels
• The Best Science Fiction Books to Discover the Genre
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Recommended

Reader Interactions

Fatheya says

April 13, 2021 at 3:27 pm

Thank you for this excellent list, Rachael. I’m a very big fan of time travel books. I’ve read several of these books and several others are on my TBR. There’s one book I would recommend adding to the list: A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux. It’s a lovely time travel romance.

April 14, 2021 at 12:48 pm

Wow! I love this list. Thanks so much!

I am a huge fan of Outlander. I’ve read them all and Diana has finished book 9!!!! Publication date still pending, but cannot wait for more Jamie and Claire. The combo of accurate historical info and time travel and LOVE is irresistible. Gabaldon is an excellent writer.

Amazingly, I was not immediately sucked into the first book. I think I ran across it on a list of Romances. I picked it up from the library and did not finish it. Then the t.v. series came out and the first season was so well done, I was hooked. I went back to the book and actually watched and read in unison. I generally feel books are better than the television or movie versions, but in this case I used the books to dive deeper into these wonderful stories. The later seasons of the show are great too, but sometimes the omissions and switch ups in the stories can bug me. Why mess with a good thing. I bet they bug Diana Gabaldon too.

I know this will be very unpopular, but I did not like The Midnight Library. I liked the premise, but frankly did not think the book was all it was hyped up to be.

I’ve seen the Lydia Bird title and had not realized it was time travel related. So that will be a TBR for me! Also Faye, Faraway sounds good.

I am going to give my age away, but I was enthralled with the movie version of The Time Machine as a kid. The main actor was the very handsome Rod Taylor. I actually have it recorded on my DVR. It was on Movies! channel. Not sure how closely it follows H.G. Wells original. It has the scary Morlocks in it. I loved a good scare as a child. I was born the year this came out, but remember loving to watch when it was on television.

I think going back in time was always the draw for me as a child. I love history.

MamaNewtNewt says

July 24, 2021 at 3:13 pm

The Chronicles of St Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor us brilliant and there are so many of them.

August 17, 2021 at 8:29 pm

Thank you so much for your list, Rachael. I would add The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. It is 600 pages long, but I still read it in one sitting!

John Abraham says

March 31, 2022 at 8:19 am

I would recommend a book titled ‘Threads of Time by JP Harris’ aspects include actual accounts from individuals who may have slipped into other timelines or interdimensional locations..it also covers people who actually created devices as for example.In a terraced house in Bath, Somerset, UK, a retired watchmaker created a healing device that also had the additional capability of being used as a time machine.

A small scoop of kid lit with all the toppings.

16 Books About Time Travel

Full of adventure, time travel books have a little something for everyone! I personally love time travel books that travel to the past and preferably more than one place in the story. One of my favorite time travel YA books is The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig. On her father’s ship, Nix travels through time, depending on what map they use.

Time travel opens an even wider world for readers to discover through history and even into the future. This list includes both chapter books and middle grade titles for readers from ages 6-12. A lot of these would also make really great read aloud titles as well.

But, I will say, I was extremely disappointed in the distinct lack of diversity when it comes to time travel books for kids. There is more diversity in time travel books for teens, but I struggled to find more than just a few books BIPOC characters. If you know of others, please share in the comments below. Check out these great time travel books to share with your young readers!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler

(Time Twisters) by Steve Sheinkin

Amazon | Bookshop

Well, you can believe some of it. There is some real history. But also hijinks. Time travel. And famous figures setting off on adventures that definitely never happened―till now. Time is getting twisted, and it’s up to two kids to straighten things out.

When Abraham Lincoln overhears a classroom of kids say “history is boring,” he decides to teach them a lesson. Lincoln escapes from 1860―to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler! Now siblings Doc and Abby have to convince Lincoln to go back to Springfield, Illinois, and accept the presidency . . . before everything spins out of control!

On the Blue Comet

by Rosemary Wells

One day in a house at the end of Lucifer Street, on the Mississippi River side of Cairo, Illinois, eleven-year-old Oscar Ogilvie’s life is changed forever. The Crash of 1929 has rippled across the country, and Oscar’s dad must sell their home–with all their cherished model trains–and head west in search of work. Forced to move in with his humorless aunt, Carmen and his teasing cousin, Willa Sue, Oscar is lonely and miserable–until he meets a mysterious drifter and witnesses a crime so stunning it catapults Oscar on an incredible train journey from coast to coast, from one decade to another. Filled with suspense and peppered with witty encounters with Hollywood stars and other bigwigs of history, this captivating novel by Rosemary Wells, gorgeously illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, resonates with warmth, humor, and the true magic of a timeless adventure.

Dinosaurs Before Dark

(Magic Treehouse) by Mary Pope Osborne

Where did the tree house come from?

Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark…or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner?

The Glass Sentence

by S. E. Grove

She has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous. Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer

by Lamar Giles

Otto and Sheed are the local sleuths in their zany Virginia town, masters of unraveling mischief using their unmatched powers of deduction. And as the summer winds down and the first day of school looms, the boys are craving just a little bit more time for fun, even as they bicker over what kind of fun they want to have. That is, until a mysterious man appears with a camera that literally freezes time. Now, with the help of some very strange people and even stranger creatures, Otto and Sheed will have to put aside their differences to save their town—and each other—before time stops for good.

The Last Musketeer

by Stuart Gibbs

On a family trip to Paris, Greg Rich’s parents disappear. They’re not just missing from the city – they’re missing from the century. So, Greg does what any other 14-year-old would do: He travels through time to rescue them. 

Greg soon finds out that his family history is tied to the legendary Three Musketeers. But when he meets them, they’re his age, and they’ll only live long enough to become true heroes if he can save them. 

To rescue his parents, Greg must assume the identity of a young Musketeer in training and unite Athos, Porthos, and Aramis – but a powerful enemy is doing everything possible to stop him. 

The Library of Ever

by Zeno Alexander

With her parents off traveling the globe, Lenora is bored, bored, bored―until she discovers a secret doorway into the ultimate library. Mazelike and reality-bending, the library contains all the universe’s wisdom. Every book ever written, and every fact ever known, can be found within its walls. And Lenora becomes its newly appointed Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian.

She rockets to the stars, travels to a future filled with robots, and faces down a dark nothingness that wants to destroy all knowledge. To save the library, Lenora will have to test her limits and uncover secrets hidden among its shelves.

The Lincoln Project

(Flashback Four) by Dan Gutman

In  New York Times  bestselling author Dan Gutman’s all-new series, which blends fascinating real history with an action-packed and hilarious adventure, four very different kids are picked by a mysterious billionaire to travel through time and photograph some of history’s most important events. This time, the four friends are headed to 1863 to catch Abraham Lincoln delivering his famous Gettysburg Address.

They’ll have to work together to ask the right questions, meet the right people, and capture the right moment. And most important—not get caught! Back matter separating fact from fiction and real black-and-white photographs throughout make Flashback Four the perfect mix of true history and uproarious fun. Young readers will love reading the hilarious story, while still learning about a crucial moment in American history.

The Magic In Changing Your Stars

by Leah Henderson

Eleven-year-old Ailey Benjamin Lane, a gifted dancer, is certain that he’ll land the role of the Scarecrow in his school’s production of  The Wiz.  But when a classmate overshadows him at auditions, a deflated Ailey confides in his Grampa that he is going to give up dancing. Not ready to give up on Ailey, Grampa shares a story from his past. As a young boy, Grampa gave up  his  dreams of tap dancing even after the unofficial Mayor of Harlem, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, encouraged him to perform. Robinson also gifted him a special pair of tap shoes.

A curious Ailey tries on the shoes and is instantly transported back to 1930s Harlem. There he meets a young street tap dancer and realizes it’s his grandfather. Ailey thinks he can help the 12-year-old version of his Grampa face his fears, but he must tread lightly—if Ailey changes the past, can it affect his future, and will he ever make his way home? Featuring an all-Black cast of characters and many moments infused with Black culture and history, this is a time-travel adventure that has been waiting to be told.

The Mona Lisa Key

(Time Castaways) by Liesl Shurtliff

Mateo, Ruby, and Corey Hudson’s parents don’t have too many rules. It’s the usual stuff: Be good. Do your homework. And never ride the subway without an adult, EVER. But when the siblings wake up late for school, they have no choice but to break a rule. The Hudson siblings board the subway in Manhattan and end up on a frigate ship in Paris…in the year 1911.

As time does tell, the Hudson family has a lot of secrets. The past, present, and future are intertwined—and a time-traveling ship called the  Vermillion  is at the center. Racing to untangle the truth, the kids find themselves in the middle of one of the greatest art heists of all time.

And the adventure is just getting started.

Rescue on the Oregon Trail

(Ranger In Time) by Kate Messner

Meet Ranger! He’s a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always saves the day! Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but can’t officially pass the test because he’s always getting distracted by squirrels during exercises. One day, he finds a mysterious first aid kit in the garden and is transported to the year 1850, where he meets a young boy named Sam Abbott. Sam’s family is migrating west on the Oregon Trail, and soon after Ranger arrives he helps the boy save his little sister. Ranger thinks his job is done, but the Oregon Trail can be dangerous, and the Abbotts need Ranger’s help more than they realize!

Saving Lucas Biggs

by Marisa De Los Santos and David Teague

Thirteen-year-old Margaret knows her father is innocent, but that doesn’t stop the cruel Judge Biggs from sentencing him to death. Margaret is determined to save her dad, even if it means using her family’s secret—and forbidden—ability to time travel.

With the help of her best friend, Charlie, and his grandpa Josh, Margaret goes back to a time when Judge Biggs was a young boy and tries to prevent the chain of events that transformed him into a corrupt, jaded man. But with the forces of history working against her, will Margaret be able to change the past? Or will she be pushed back to a present in which her father is still doomed?

Told in alternating voices between Margaret and Josh, this heartwarming story shows that sometimes the forces of good need a little extra help to triumph over the forces of evil.

Stealing the Sword

(Time Jumpers series) by Wendy Mass

Chase and Ava find an old suitcase filled with strange objects. One of the objects looks like a dragon-headed doorknob… Suddenly Chase and Ava find themselves jumping back in time to King Arthur’s castle! They meet the king’s wizard Merlin and soon discover what the dragon-headed doorknob  really  is. It turns out they have an important job to do: They must save the king! But a bad guy is after them… How will Chase and Ava get back home? They will need to act fast to find out!

Time Traveling With a Hamster

by Ross Welford

My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine and again four years later, when he was twelve.  On his twelfth birthday, Al Chaudhury receives a letter from his dead father. It directs him to the bunker of their old house, where Al finds a time machine (an ancient computer and a tin bucket). The letter also outlines a mission: travel back to 1984 and prevent the go-kart accident that will eventually take his father’s life. But as Al soon discovers, whizzing back thirty years requires not only imagination and courage, but also lying to your mom, stealing a moped, and setting your school on fire—oh, and keeping your pet hamster safe. With a literary edge and tons of commerical appeal, this incredible debut has it all: heart, humor, vividly imagined characters, and a pitch-perfect voice.

Time Villains

by Victor Piñeiro

Javi Santiago is trying his best not to fail sixth grade. So, when the annual invite any three people to dinner homework assignment rolls around, Javi enlists his best friend, Wiki, and his sister, Brady, to help him knock it out of the park.

But the dinner party is a lot more than they bargained for. The family’s mysterious antique table actually brings the historical guests to the meal…and Blackbeard the Pirate is turning out to be the worst guest of all time.

Before they can say avast, ye maties, Blackbeard escapes, determined to summon his bloodthirsty pirate crew. And as Javi, Wiki, and Brady try to figure out how to get Blackbeard back into his own time, they might have to invite some even zanier figures to set things right again…

A Wrinkle In Time

by Madeleine L’Engle

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L’Engle’s unusual book.  A Wrinkle in Time , winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the titles above from my list of 16 Books About Time Travel , please use my affiliate links for Amazon or Bookshop. When you purchase from the links above, I will earn a commission as an affiliate.

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The 35 Best Books About Time Travel

Here's what to read after you finish Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is an incredible introduction to the time travel genre. In the books, Claire Randall's entire life shifts when she travels back in time through the stones at Craigh na Dun , arriving in Scotland in 1743. There, she meets her 18th-century husband, Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, and their epic love story spans centuries.

Gabaldon first published Outlander —the book that would eventually inspire the television series starring Caitriona Balfe as Claire and Sam Heughan as Jamie —in 1991, and the ninth novel in the series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone , came out in November 2021.

Ahead of the seventh season of Outlander , now's the perfect time (ha) to dive into time travel books. From time traveling romance to alternate realities to murder mysteries, there's something for everyone here.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Any list about time travel books must begin with The Time Traveler's Wife , right? This bestselling novel tells the love story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who inadvertently travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Plot sound familiar? The book was adapted into a 2009 film starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, and a 2022 TV show starring Theo James and Rose Leslie .

Read more: 20 of the best Time Travel Films Ever Made

A Murder in Time

Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI, until one disastrous raid when half her team is murdered and a mole in the FBI is uncovered. After she recovers from her wounds, she's determined to find the man responsible for the death of her team—yet upon her arrival in England, she stumbles back in time to 1815. Mistaken for a lady's maid, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the period as she figures out how to get back to her own timeline. There are five books in the Kendra Donovan series , so if you love a time travel mystery, don't miss these.

Author Octavia Butler is a queen of science fiction, and Kindred is her bestselling novel about time travel. In it, she tells the story of Dana, a Black woman, who is celebrating her 26th birthday in 1976. Abruptly, she's transported back to Maryland, circa 1815, where she's on a plantation and has to save Rufus, the white son of the plantation owner. It's not just a time travel book, but one that expertly weaves in narratives of enslaved people and explores the Antebellum South.

Faye, Faraway

Diana Gabaldon herself called Faye, Faraway "a lovely, deeply moving story of loss and love and memory made real , " so you know it's going to be good. The plot focuses on Faye, a mother of two, who lost her own mother, Jeanie, when she was just 8 years old. When Faye suddenly finds herself transported back in time, she befriends her mother—but doesn't let on who she really is. Eventually, she has to choose between her past and her future.

The Eyre Affair

In this version of Great Britain circa 1985, time travel is routine. Our protagonist is Thursday Next, a literary detective, who is placed on a case when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel.

Bonus: The Eyre Affair is the first in a seven book series following Thursday.

The River of No Return: A Novel

Lord Nicholas Davenant is about to die in the Napoleonic Wars in 1812, and wakes up 200 years later. But he longs to return back in time to his love, Julia. When he arrives in modern society, a mysterious organization called the Guild tells him "there is no return," until one day, they summon him to London and he learns it's possible to travel back through time. A spy thriller that's also historical romance that's also time travel... Say less.

One Last Stop

Casey McQuiston's second novel ( following Red, White, and Royal blue, which is going to be a major motion picture this summer ) is a queer time-loop romance set on the Q train in New York City, and it's riveting. August is 23, working at a 24-hour diner, and meets a gorgeous, charming girl on the train: Jane. But she can't seem to meet up with her off the Q train—until they figure out Jane is stuck in time from the 1970s. How did she travel through time? Can August get Jane unstuck? Will they live happily ever after!? The questions abound.

What the Wind Knows

Anne Gallagher grew up hearing her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. When she returns to the country to spread his ashes, she is transported back in time to 1921—and is drawn into the struggle for Irish independence. There, she meets Dr. Thomas Smith, and must decide whether or not she should return to her own timeline or stay in the past. As one reviewer wrote on Amazon, What the Wind Knows is a "spectacular time travel journey filled with love and loss."

The Midnight Library: A Novel

Imagine a library with an infinite number of books—each containing an alternate reality about your life. That's the plot of The Midnight Library , where our protagonist Nora Seed enters different versions of her life. She undoes old breakups, follows her dream of becoming a glaciologist, and so much more—but what happens to her original life?

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.: A Novel

In this novel from Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland, magic existed—until 1851. A secret government organization, the Department of Diachronic Operations (or D.O.D.O. for short), is dedicated to bringing magic back, and its members will travel through time to change history to do so. As Kirkus Reviews wrote , the novel "blend[s] time travel with Bourne-worthy skulduggery." It's a delight for any fans of science fiction, with a slow burn romance between military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons and linguist Melisande Stokes.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, this epistolary romantic novel tells the story of two time-traveling rivals who fall in love. Agents Red and Blue travel back and forth throughout time, trying to alter universes on behalf of their warring empires—and start to leave each other messages. The messages begin taunting but soon turn flirtatious—and when Red's commander discovers her affection for Blue, they soon embark down a timeline they can't change.

The House on the Strand

Set at an ancient Cornish house called Kilmarth, where Daphne du Maurier lived from 1967, The House on the Strand story follows Dick Young, who has been offered use of Kilmarth by an old college friend, Magnus Lane. Magnus, a biophysicist, is developing a drug that enables people to travel back to the 14th century, and Dick reluctantly agrees to be a test subject. The catch: If you touch anyone, you're transported back to the present. As the story goes on, Dick's visits back to the 1300s become more frequent, and his life back in the modern world becomes unstable.

The Kingdoms

It’s 1898 and there’s a man named Joe, who lives in London, which is, in this alternate historical, a part of the French Empire as in this version of the past, Britain lost the Napoleonic Wars. Joe has gotten off a train from Scotland and cannot remember anything about who he is or where he’s from. He soon returns to his work, and after a few years, he is sent to repair a lighthouse in Eilean Mor in the Outer Hebrides. Joe then finds himself a century earlier, on a British boat with a mysterious captain, fighting the French and hoping for a future that is different than the one he came from. If you're into time travel and queer romance and alternate history, this is for you.

The Future of Another Timeline

In 1992, 17-year-old Beth agrees to help hide the dead body of her friend's abusive boyfriend. The murder sets Beth and her friends on "a path of escalating violence and vengeance" to protect other young women. In 2022, Tess decides to use time travel to fight for change around key moments in history. When Tess believes she's found a way to make an edit to history that actually sticks, she encounters a group of time travelers bent on stopping her at any cost. Tess and Beth's lives intertwine, and war breaks out across the timeline.

Shadow of Night

The sequel to A Discovery of Witches , the plot of Shadow of Night picks up right where the story left off: With Matthew, a vampire, and Diana, a witch, traveling back in time to Elizabethan London to search for an enchanted manuscript. You really need to read the first book before reading Shadow of Night , but the series by Deborah Harkness is a swoony magical romance.

And: It's now a TV show! ( Season one is streaming on Amazon Prime Video .)

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

In The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, the same day happens again and again. Each day, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered at 11:00 p.m at Blackheath. And each day, our protagonist Aiden Bishop wakes up in the body of a different witness—and tries to solve her murder. He only has eight days, and it's a race against time to solve Evelyn's murder and to escape the time loop.

Recursion: A Novel

In 2018 New York City, detective Barry Sutton fails to talk Ann out of jumping off a building. But before Ann falls to her death, she tells him she is suffering from False Memory Syndrome—a new neurological disease where people are afflicted with memories of lives they never lived. The dissonance between their present and these memories drives them to death. This is best read unspoiled, but it's undoubtedly a time travel story you haven't read before.

On the eve of her wedding day, Shay Garrett looks into her grandmother's antique mirror and faints. When she wakes up, she's in the same house—but in the body of her grandmother, Brandy, as a young woman in 1900. And Brandy awakens in Shay's body in the present day in 1978. It's like Freaky Friday , but with time travel to the Victorian era.

Here and Now and Then

Kin Stewart is a time traveler from 2142, stuck in 1990s suburban San Francisco. A rescue team arrives to bring Kin back to his timeline—but 18 years too late. Does Kin stay with his "new" family, and the life he's built for himself in San Francisco, or does he return to his original timeline? He's stuck between two families—and ultimately, this is a time travel tale about fatherhood.

A Knight in Shining Armor

Originally published in 1989, this romance novel features a present-day heroine and a knight from the 16th century who fall in love. Per the book's description: "Abandoned by a cruel fate, lovely Dougless Montgomery lies weeping upon a cold tombstone in an English church. Suddenly, the most extraordinary man appears. It is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck…and according to his tombstone he died in 1564. Drawn to his side by a bond so sudden and compelling it overshadows reason, Dougless knows that Nicholas is nothing less than a miracle: a man who does not seek to change her, who finds her perfect, fascinating, just as she is. What Dougless never imagined was how strong the chains are that tie them to the past…or the grand adventure that lay before them."

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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Your Connection to Teen Collections

Booklist: Time Travel Reads for Teens

Time travel has been a popular subject of fiction since The Time Machine by H.G. Wells was published in 1895. Over a century later, it still captures the imagination of many readers. The mix of philosophy and theoretical physics allows for endless combinations to explore parallel universes, to go back and forward in time, and is an especially great backdrop for both adventure and star-crossed love.

There is no shortage of time travel stories in young adult fiction. With so many great time travel novels coming out this year, it’s a great time to some time bending novels to your “to read” list. You won’t even need to build a time machine to read most of these right now!

If you like your time travel with a time-crossed romance

Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

Cassandra’s summer takes a strange turn when she meets a stranger who claims her family’s beach house belongs to him and that the year is 1925. As Cassandra tries to solve the mystery of Lawrence’s appearance she will also have to try to find a way to change history if the two hope to have any kind of future together.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth Shepherd’s cousin has been preparing to time travel for her entire life. Until both girls find out that it’s Gwyneth, not Charlotte, who carries the rare time travel gene.

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Something strange is happening in Natalie’s hometown. Little things at first like her front door being green instead of red. Then a strange apparition Natalie calls “Grandmother” appears and tells he she has three months to save a boy she hasn’t met yet.

Return Once More by Trisha Leigh

Kaia is an apprentice with The Historians–a group of time travelers who observe and record history. Kaia doesn’t see the harm in catching a glimpse of her long-dead soulmate in Ancient Egypt but that one search sets off a series of events that will leave Kaia scrambling to save her future.

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

After her parents’ death Michele is sent across the country to live with her grandparents in New York and finds a diary that transports her to 1910 where she meets a blue-eyed stranger who has haunted her dreams for as long as she can remember.

Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

Hope will have to learn how to conquer her fears before she can try to work with a group of time travelers to save her mother who is trapped in 12th Century England.

If you you want high stakes adventures across time

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Traveling across centuries and around the world, Etta and Nicholas will have to trust each other as they hunt down a long-lost artifact and uncover a truth that could threaten their natural times and everything in between.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Determined to get revenge for her father’s murder and the theft of his universe-crossing device, Marguerite embarks on a multi-universal hunt for Paul. The closer Marguerite gets to Paul, the more she begins to wonder if he really is the villain she thought.

The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove

Nearly a century ago the Great Disruption remade the world and threw all of the continents into different Ages. When her renowned mapmaker uncle is kidnapped, Sophia Tims will have to travel across Ages to rescue him.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Nix Song has spent all of her sixteen years watching her father, Slate, use historical and mythical maps to travel to distant lands and times most people can only imagine. Slate’s quest to return to a time and place where Nix’s mother is still alive has driven him to desperate acts before. When the promise of another map surfaces, Nix will have to decide how far she is willing to go to help Slate this time.

Erasing Time by C. J. Hill

Twins Taylor and Sheridan wake up 400 years in the future to find a world they barely recognize and a totalitarian government that will stop at nothing to find out their secrets.

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

An elevator transports Addy from her dreary life in 1913 London to a castle in 1240 where she is mistaken for royalty.

If you’re looking for some time travelers who have to save the day

Loop by Karen Akins

Bree Bennis lives in the twenty-third century where, because of a special gene mutation, she can travel anywhere in time. After her solo midterm to the twenty-first century goes spectacularly wrong, Bree knows she’s in big trouble. Failing to complete her mission is one thing. Accidentally revealing herself to a boy and sort of taking him hostage? That could get Bree expelled. Or worse.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Prenna came to New York when she was twelve after immigrating from a disastrous future. In order to try and change that future, Prenna and her community have to follow certain rules: Never reveal where they’re from, never interfere, never get involved with someone outside of the community. The only problem is Prenna might be in love with a boy from the present.

Tempest by Julie Cross

Jackson can travel through time. It’s never been a problem until his girlfriend Holly is fatally shot and Jackson accidentally travels back two years and can’t return to his present to try and save her.

Longbow Girl by Linda Davies

Merry Owen will have to use her archery skills to save her family’s land when she travels to the year 1537 and solve their current financial problems in the present.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

For the past four years Emerson Cole has seen strange apparitions from the past that seem to be hallucinations. Instead, Emerson learns that she can manipulate time and, with help from the mysterious Michael, she might even be able to prevent a murder that happened six months ago.

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Em and Marina stand on opposite sides in a race to protect time and keep a time machine from ever being built. Only one of them can come out alive.

If you want a book about accidental time travel:

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren

While fighting off boredom at yet another of their parent’s archaeological sites, sisters Gabi and Lia touch the wrong handprint in an ancient tomb and find themselves transported to 14th Century Italy.

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen

Alex Wayfare is used to getting in trouble because of her visions of the past. Turns out Alex is a Descender able to travel through time by accessing her past lives–all 56 of them.

Shadows Fall Away by Kit Forbes

Mark’s stay with his eccentric, Jack the Ripper obsessed, aunt is cut short when he is struck by lightning and wakes up in 1888. When his knowledge of the Ripper murders single him out as a suspect, Mark decides to try to solve the murders himself to clear his name and return to his own time.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Cat Crawford definitely doesn’t want an elaborate party for her sixteenth birthday. Instead she welcomes her father and stepmother’s offer of a trip to Italy. The only problem comes when an unusual tent transports her to Renaissance Firenze.

Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer

After a photo booth camera sends them back in time, four estranged friends will have to relive their summer from two years ago if they want to get back to their present.

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Anna’s world is turned upside down when Bennett–a time traveler–shows up in her perfectly ordered life in 1995 Evanston, Illinois.

If you want a novel about parallel lives/worlds

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

In 1996 best friends Josh and Emma use a free AOL CD to go online for the first time where they get a glimpse of their Facebook pages–and their lives–fifteen years in the future.

Tandem by Anna Jarzab

Thrust into a life that isn’t her own, Sasha has to play the part of a princess in a world that shouldn’t exist if she ever wants a chance to return to her own world.

Planesrunner by Ian McDonald

Everett Singh will have to use the Infundibulum–a map of parallel earths–to travel across worlds to try and rescue his kidnapped scientist father.

Now That You’re Here by Amy K. Nichols

Thrown together by the most unlikely of circumstances, Danny and Eevee will have to work together to get Danny back home to his own universe before time runs out.

Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Caroline can stay at her grandmother’s side in the hospital waiting for the worse. Or she can go to a party and try to forget for a little while. One decision might bring closure and one might bring something unexpected. But only one is the right choice.

Pivot Point by Kasie West

At a crossroad that will change everything, Addie will have to user her psychic ability to live both outcomes for every decision she makes to decide what she is willing to live through and who she is willing to lose.

If you want to test out your own time machine, you can check out these books later this year

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

Everything goes wrong when Elena and her team look into their own fates on a routine data gathering mission in the future. With only 24 hours left to get back to the present can Elena save her team and the future?

Two Summers by Aimee Friedman

What happens if Summer Everett picks up her phone and stays home all summer? What if she doesn’t answer and ends up on her planned trip to France? In both summers there will be first love and self-discovery. But how will a shocking family secret play out in each parallel world?

It Wasn’t Always Like This by Joy Preble

Emma and Charlie haven’t aged for a hundred years. Seventeen forever, the two should have a perfect romance. But dangerous forces have kept the two apart until a series of murders suggest that Emma might have the chance to find the threat–and her lost love–at last.

The Square Root of Summer by Harrier Reuter Hapgood

Gottie H. Oppenheimer begins traveling back to key moments in her past through wormholes opening around her small seaside town. She returns to moments of first love and regret while she struggles with the loss of her grandfather in the present. When two boys from her past return, Gottie will have to confront her past–and her future–head on.

— Emma Carbone, currently reading The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

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2 thoughts on “Booklist: Time Travel Reads for Teens”

Omg all of these look AMAZING!! and have been on my radar and haven’t picked them up yet and I don’t know why. Most of these sound super intriguing.

Jumana @ Books by Jay

This is a great collection with awesome headings/organization. Thank you!

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Target Drops Exclusive ‘Wednesday’ YA Novel Inspired by Hit Netflix Show

By Tim Chan

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Jenna Ortega is currently scaring up audiences in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (the sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton hit ), but the actress is also the lead in Netflix’s Wednesday , which returns for a second season next year.

While the premiere date for season two of Wednesday has yet to be announced, fans of the show can keep up with the characters with a new novel, inspired by the hit series.

Wednesday TV Series YA Novel #1

Titled “Wednesday TV Series YA Novel #1,” the book features a novelization of Wednesday’s first season, following Wednesday Addams as she solves mysteries and dodges supernatural spirits at Nevermore Academy. From publisher Random House, the 368-page hardcover includes many of the plots and characters from the Netflix series, along with new details not seen on the show. A bonus: this Target exclusive (above) includes a free collectible poster.

From the publisher notes, “Follow along with [Wednesday] as she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore Academy.”

This is an officially-licensed release from Netflix, with the cover art featuring an image of Ortega from the show.

Beetlejuice Deluxe Gift Set

$22.40 $32 30% off

Target also has a special Beetlejuice Deluxe Gift Set available right now . The keepsake box set is modeled after the  Handbook for the Recently Deceased , used by the characters in the film, and includes the book, a pouch, notecards, pen and more.

Like the Wednesday book, this is an officially-licensed release at Target.com .

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New YA Book Releases, September 5, 2024

Your YA TBR is about to explode in the best way.

Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen .

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Let’s roll.

New YA Hardcover Releases

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

We’re kicking this off with a book that is a queer Appalachian thriller and not for readers who can’t stomach brutal reads. White’s latest novel follows Miles Abernathy, a 16-year-old West Virginian socialist, who comes out to his parents as trans. The night he does, Miles heads to a party, eager to prove that he knows how to solve a blood feud in town that’s been running for generations. He has photos proving that it was the county sheriff who caused an “accident” that hurt Miles’s dad and not only killed several people but also helped disrupt the plans to unseat the sheriff.

The feud goes back to Miles’s 100 years ago. His great-great-grandfather incited a miner’s rebellion that led to the police holding a public execution. But Miles’s plans to prove what the sheriff did has now made him the victim of the feud, thanks to the sheriff’s son and friends. They’ve found Miles and beaten him so hard he’s now in the hospital.

He’s not going to give up on his question to prove the sheriff is up to no good, and when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he discovers how many people in his small town want to join him in taking the authority down.

Guava and Grudges by Alexis Castellanos

I love a foodie romance — a topic worth covering in and of itself! — and this one sounds delicious. Ana Maria Ybarra wants to be a pastry chef, and while she’s honed some great skills at her family’s bakery, she’s frustrated her father will not update the menu with some of her creations. This is made worse when Morales Bakery opens up across the street, and they’re taking off on social media.

Ana Maria’s plan is to enter a scholarship contest that has a social media element. If she wins, it’ll help her get to school and help her convince her dad to take some new chances.

What Ana Marie didn’t bank on was that a boy she had a fling with, Miguel, is in town. And worse, he’s behind the popular bakery that’s rivaling her family’s. Can she both pursue her goals and hold off on falling in love? Or does she pursue her goals *and* let herself feel those feels?

One Last Chance to Live by Francisco X. Stork

What happens when you believe in dreams and want to pursue them, but that pursuit might not always be in your best interests?

Nico believes in what he dreams, and it’s why he’s so set on becoming a writer. It’s a path he knows will be satisfying. But then he has a dream about his own funeral, and in that dream, his former neighbor Rosario — who died a year prior and the girl Nico had a big crush on — tries to tell him something. Nico knows it has to be important, and now, awake, he’s determined to figure out why she died and what she wanted him to know so badly.

The thing is, Nico’s balancing a lot of other challenges. He’s got a sick mom, and his brother is finding himself engaged in a gang. Nico needs to be the man of the house, but he also knows that he needs to know what that message Rosario had for him.

The Loss of the Burying Ground by J. Anderson Coats

Duran and Ariminthian have been warring nations for as long as anyone remembers. So when a ship carrying delegates from both countries and their about-to-be-signed peace treaty wrecks, the only two survivors are teen girls, one from each of the nations.

Cora and Vivienne must now learn how to trust one another in order to survive on the island where they’re stranded. That sounds easier than it is, given the girls have grown up in two very different worlds with very different perspectives. Can they transcend their histories and political upbringings to survive? If they can, will they be able to also prove the war was on its way to a resolution before the shipwreck?

Wednesday: A Novelization by Tehlor Kay Mejia

It’s been a while since novelizations have been popular in YA. Certainly, we’ve had plenty of tie-in novels, but an actual novelization? This one is going to be exciting.

This is Wednesday’s story of her time at Nevermore Academy, where she navigates how to grow her psychic abilities and attempts to solve a mystery that’s over 25 years old.

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

Thao’s debut was an instant success, so there’s little surprise that his second is highly anticipated. It’s pitched as  Wandavision  meets  We Are Okay .

Eric Ly’s best friend is dead. So he does what he needs to in order to survive, and that includes creating an imaginary world in his head. But one of those imaginary scenarios becomes all too real when a boy he met the previous summer in Japan is suddenly and really back in his life. Haru meets Eric at a coffee shop, sits down, and they’re together IRL again.

But no one else can see Haru. Only Eric can. So, is Haru real? Or is Haru a figure only there to help Eric through the grief? The more time they spend together, the more Eric realizes knowing the truth could shatter his world further — and send Haru away forever.

More Hardcover Releases This Week:

• Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
• The Ghost of You by Michael Gray Bulla
• The Salt Thief by Neal Bascomb
• A Second Chance on Earth by Juan Vidal
• Shadows of Perl by J. Elle
• Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore

Want more? Check out the full slate of  YA hardcover releases this week .

New YA Paperback Releases

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons

Meido is a card game without rules, and it’s the game that five best friends got together to play four years ago. One of those friends, Ian, did not come back out alive.

Now seniors, the surviving four friends — who have not been friends since — have been summoned by the ghost of Ian. They’re going back to where they last played the game with the goal of finding and bringing their friend home.

What they don’t anticipate is being sucked into the Japanese underworld. They have to complete seven challenges in one night, or they’ll be stuck there forever.

The cover for this book is excellent, isn’t it? This is the first in a duology, and the second book, She Waits For You Beyond the Dark , hits shelves in March.

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow

Ian’s mom has been struggling with an opioid addiction. Ian’s now had to quit many of the things he loves in his life in order to help her survive, and while he never planned to have a dog, he’s grateful for Gather’s companionship. As Ian works to keep the family afloat, tragedy strikes, and now, he and Gather are on the run. They don’t want to lose everything they’ve got, which is really not that much anyway. But Ian is unsure he’s safe enough to come back home, even with the help of neighbors and people he trusts.

Gather was a Printz award winner last year and it’s the story of a teen boy, his best companion, and the ways in which resilience is built.

The Gathering Dark edited by Tori Bovalino

Monsters and curses? Yes, please! This YA anthology features authors such as Chloe Gong, Erica Waters, Courtney Gould, and Aden Polydoros exploring haunted lakes, wicked and burning towns, isolated bridges, and more.

House of Marionne by J. Elle

Quell has a secret: she’s got deadly magic in her. This is why she and her mother have fled from place to place. They need to keep this a secret.

But when someone finds out about her secret. Quell needs to keep her and her mother safe from assassins, so she enters into a series of rituals that would induct her into a magical secret society. She needs to pass three rites of membership, after which she’ll be guaranteed safety and security. If she fails, she could be killed.

It might not be the rituals that make Quell sweat, though. It might be the secrets she unlocks about the secret society….and her own brand of magic.

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee)

Following a family from their ancestral lands in Georgia to World War I, the present, and the future, Rogers delivers a series of horror stories ripe with classic horror creatures like vampires and zombies, as well as real-life horrors like colonization and intimate partner violence. Interspersed are, of course, legends of Cherokee horror, and each story includes a beautiful illustration by Cherokee artist Jeff Edwards.

More Paperback Releases This Week:

• Beholder by Ryan La Sala
• Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong
• Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko
• I Loved You in Another Life by David Arnold
• The Legacies by Jessica Goodman
• Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott
• Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats

If that’s not enough, dive into the entire list of this week’s  YA paperback releases .

If you’re reading this “What’s Up in YA?” newsletter on bookriot.com or got it from a friend, consider getting it sent directly to your inbox.  You can sign up here .

Thanks as always for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Monday next week with your new books for next week. It’s likely Thursday will bring you a big batch of YA book news.

Until then, happy reading!

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