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!
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16 Books About Time Travel
Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler
(Time Twisters) by Steve Sheinkin
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 happenedâtill now. Time is getting twisted, and itâs up to two kids to straighten things out.
When Abraham Lincoln overhears a classroom of kids say âhistory is boring,â he decides to teach them a lesson. Lincoln escapes from 1860âto 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 Ogilvieâs life is changed forever. The Crash of 1929 has rippled across the country, and Oscarâs 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 darkâŠor will they become a dinosaurâs 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 Worldâa 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 Shadrackâs maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrackâs 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 townâand each otherâbefore 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, boredâuntil she discovers a secret doorway into the ultimate library. Mazelike and reality-bending, the library contains all the universeâs 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 importantânot 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 schoolâs 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 lightlyâif 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 Hudsonâs parents donât have too many rules. Itâs 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 ParisâŠin the year 1911.
As time does tell, the Hudson family has a lot of secrets. The past, present, and future are intertwinedâand 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 secretâand forbiddenâability 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 fatherâs 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 fireâoh, 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 youâre 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.
