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The Night I Borrowed Time
A funny, heartbreaking and uplifting tale about family, bravery and living in the here and now, perfect for fans of Time Travelling With a Hamster and Wonder.
I’m going back in time to save this family.
Eleven-year-old Zubair is a seventh son. This means a LOT of big brothers. But when Zubair’s granny arrives from Pakistan and gives him a mysterious amulet, he discovers it means something else, too: he has inherited a gift. The seventh sons in his family have the ability to time-travel.
With his dad a shadow of his former self since his car accident, and his mum always tired and angry, Zubair has a genius idea. He’ll use time-travel to fix things between them.
But each trip comes at a cost. If he changes something small in the past, it can have a huge effect on his future. And if he gets it wrong, the results could be devastating…
I’m going back in time to save this family.
Eleven-year-old Zubair is a seventh son. This means a LOT of big brothers. But when Zubair’s granny arrives from Pakistan and gives him a mysterious amulet, he discovers it means something else, too: he has inherited a gift. The seventh sons in his family have the ability to time-travel.
With his dad a shadow of his former self since his car accident, and his mum always tired and angry, Zubair has a genius idea. He’ll use time-travel to fix things between them.
But each trip comes at a cost. If he changes something small in the past, it can have a huge effect on his future. And if he gets it wrong, the results could be devastating…
304 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2026
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129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 4, 2026
4.75 what an amazing book! learnt so much about Pakistan culture and the partition ( a horrible period in history that of course was caused by Britain and of course hasn't been taught in schools). Was crying my eyes out by the end. The main character was a bit grating by the end but he was an 11 year old boy so that's to be expected. Teaches a great lesson about family and sometimes you have to let things happen even if you really don't want them to.
January 19, 2026
time travel + blackburn + pakistan + divorce + the horrors of partition
might well be the greatest children’s book ever written
might well be the greatest children’s book ever written
February 21, 2026
Some novels borrow your time. This one demands it.
The Night I Borrowed Time begins with a classically mischievous premise: Eleven year old Zubair, a seventh son in a loud, loving, slightly unraveling household, inherits his grandmother’s amulet – a key to time travel. In another writer’s hands, that might signpost pure chaos. Under Iqbal Hussain’s gentle control, it becomes something quieter and far more ambitious: a child’s attempt to fix what the adults around him cannot.
Zubair doesn’t want glory. He wants his parents to stop arguing. He wants the tension in the house to end. He wants the family to be together. And so he does what children – idealistic, logical, dangerously earnest – believe is possible. If his mum and dad are unhappy, there must be a reason. If there’s a reason, it can be changed. And if it can be changed, why not go back and change it?
What ensues is time travel not as zany escapades, but as honest intention, and Hussain is brilliantly realistic about the causes and consequences of those intentions. Zubair alters the past and the present shifts – sometimes subtly, sometimes catastrophically – until the story expands beyond domestic tension and into the vast, violent rupture of the Partition of India. History here is not a backdrop but a family truth, and an open wound.
What struck me most is Hussain’s extraordinary understanding of children. He writes with clarity but never condescends. Through Zubair, he captures that particular childhood conviction that everything can be solved if you try hard enough, and then he gently, painfully reveals the limits of that belief. Young readers are trusted with complexity: unhappy marriages, self-doubt, violent history, migration, loss. Nothing is simplified, yet nothing feels heavy-handed.
And yet – for all its thematic weight – this book is very funny. The household thrums with chaotic affection. The excellently-described siblings (The Six) bicker. Gran arrives like a force of nature. Zubair’s best friend Fozia deserves her own spin-off comedy series. Humour exists not as distraction but as resilience. The emotional beats land because they’re earned: every brave decision, every reckless leap into the past, every unintended consequence.
In many ways, this story’s about control, and the relinquishing of it. Zubair learns that love cannot be edited like a timeline. That sometimes the happiest ending is not a rewritten history but a deeper understanding of it. That the people we love carry complications we cannot unravel.
I have hazy memories of being eleven. And yet, reading this, something long-dormant stirred – the fierce, stubborn hope that grown-up problems must have tidy solutions. This story doesn’t squash that hope. It honours it.
The Night I Borrowed Time is historical, relevant, honest, funny. It’s a propulsive adventure woven through with tenderness and grief. And the grief is real. Reader, I sobbed at the end. (Those tears threatened to resurface as I recalled the story to write this review.)
This book might demand your time – like it did mine – but I guarantee it will return it enhanced.
The Night I Borrowed Time begins with a classically mischievous premise: Eleven year old Zubair, a seventh son in a loud, loving, slightly unraveling household, inherits his grandmother’s amulet – a key to time travel. In another writer’s hands, that might signpost pure chaos. Under Iqbal Hussain’s gentle control, it becomes something quieter and far more ambitious: a child’s attempt to fix what the adults around him cannot.
Zubair doesn’t want glory. He wants his parents to stop arguing. He wants the tension in the house to end. He wants the family to be together. And so he does what children – idealistic, logical, dangerously earnest – believe is possible. If his mum and dad are unhappy, there must be a reason. If there’s a reason, it can be changed. And if it can be changed, why not go back and change it?
What ensues is time travel not as zany escapades, but as honest intention, and Hussain is brilliantly realistic about the causes and consequences of those intentions. Zubair alters the past and the present shifts – sometimes subtly, sometimes catastrophically – until the story expands beyond domestic tension and into the vast, violent rupture of the Partition of India. History here is not a backdrop but a family truth, and an open wound.
What struck me most is Hussain’s extraordinary understanding of children. He writes with clarity but never condescends. Through Zubair, he captures that particular childhood conviction that everything can be solved if you try hard enough, and then he gently, painfully reveals the limits of that belief. Young readers are trusted with complexity: unhappy marriages, self-doubt, violent history, migration, loss. Nothing is simplified, yet nothing feels heavy-handed.
And yet – for all its thematic weight – this book is very funny. The household thrums with chaotic affection. The excellently-described siblings (The Six) bicker. Gran arrives like a force of nature. Zubair’s best friend Fozia deserves her own spin-off comedy series. Humour exists not as distraction but as resilience. The emotional beats land because they’re earned: every brave decision, every reckless leap into the past, every unintended consequence.
In many ways, this story’s about control, and the relinquishing of it. Zubair learns that love cannot be edited like a timeline. That sometimes the happiest ending is not a rewritten history but a deeper understanding of it. That the people we love carry complications we cannot unravel.
I have hazy memories of being eleven. And yet, reading this, something long-dormant stirred – the fierce, stubborn hope that grown-up problems must have tidy solutions. This story doesn’t squash that hope. It honours it.
The Night I Borrowed Time is historical, relevant, honest, funny. It’s a propulsive adventure woven through with tenderness and grief. And the grief is real. Reader, I sobbed at the end. (Those tears threatened to resurface as I recalled the story to write this review.)
This book might demand your time – like it did mine – but I guarantee it will return it enhanced.
February 9, 2026
It’s a beautiful thing to lose yourself in a bookshop and find yourself in its books. I wandered into my local Waterstones this Wednesday with some cash and the idle wish to break out of my reading slump. Per my internal conflict with marketing my manuscript, I drifted towards the Middle Grade section with the loose feeling of wanting a Percy Jackson that wasn’t penned by Riordan. I don’t judge stories by covers, mind you, but I do sometimes frown at publishing teams. There I was, losing myself in the artwork, when the most gorgeous combination of colors I’ve ever seen in a book stole my eyes. “The Night I Borrowed Time,” by Iqbal Hussain.
Fast-forward to 2:30 AM today. I’d been mesmerized by the adventures of an 11-year-old boy since Thursday afternoon, and after the epilogue’s full stop, I decided to try my hands at a book review. Sorry for the long-winded introduction! Burr would say I should “talk less”.
“The Night I Borrowed Time” by Iqbal Hussain is a beautiful story about love and its lack, marriage and divorce, the Partition of India, time travel, and family. Heavy and unavoidable subjects. Iqbal has this wonderful understanding of children with which he is perfectly clear in his prose but doesn’t dumb down anything. Youngsters understand more than we realise, the book says. He’s very logical. A and B act in a certain way. Why? Because of C and D’s influence on them. Why do C and D act like that? Because of their context. What context? Iqbal’s insightful way of approaching the subject matter leaves no stone unturned in its exploration. I don’t remember being 11, and yet the narrative voice made perfect sense to me, as if some tiny sleeper agent had been triggered at reading about this family’s dynamics. The book’s special. It’s one of those beautiful stories that must be great to read as a kid –but fret not, you will feel and smile like one. It’s whimsical, it’s cultural, it’s historical. I think saying that this is the first novel I get the motivation to finish since 2024 drives the point home. The title is exact: it borrows your time. But don’t worry. It pays back and then a lot, lot more.
Fast-forward to 2:30 AM today. I’d been mesmerized by the adventures of an 11-year-old boy since Thursday afternoon, and after the epilogue’s full stop, I decided to try my hands at a book review. Sorry for the long-winded introduction! Burr would say I should “talk less”.
“The Night I Borrowed Time” by Iqbal Hussain is a beautiful story about love and its lack, marriage and divorce, the Partition of India, time travel, and family. Heavy and unavoidable subjects. Iqbal has this wonderful understanding of children with which he is perfectly clear in his prose but doesn’t dumb down anything. Youngsters understand more than we realise, the book says. He’s very logical. A and B act in a certain way. Why? Because of C and D’s influence on them. Why do C and D act like that? Because of their context. What context? Iqbal’s insightful way of approaching the subject matter leaves no stone unturned in its exploration. I don’t remember being 11, and yet the narrative voice made perfect sense to me, as if some tiny sleeper agent had been triggered at reading about this family’s dynamics. The book’s special. It’s one of those beautiful stories that must be great to read as a kid –but fret not, you will feel and smile like one. It’s whimsical, it’s cultural, it’s historical. I think saying that this is the first novel I get the motivation to finish since 2024 drives the point home. The title is exact: it borrows your time. But don’t worry. It pays back and then a lot, lot more.
December 8, 2025
Zubair is an eleven year old boy growing up in Lancashire with his parents and six older brothers. Worried that his parents are on the verge on divorce, when Zubair discovers that he has inherited the ability to time travel, he tries to change the past in order to save his parent's marriage; of course, chaos ensues.
I have big mixed feelings about this one, and I think a lot of them are due to the presentation of the book. After finishing it, I would describe TNiBT as a coming of age story about family dynamics, ancestral history, and coming to terms with the fact that life won't always go the way that you want it to. A big part of this book focuses on the realisation that parents (and grandparents) are simply human beings with their own dreams and struggles - not simply "Mum" and "Dad." Zubair's multicultural heritage is also an overarching theme, and the way that Zubair reconciles aspects of British-Pakistani life comes across with the matter-of-factness and fluidity that only children can convey. All of this is astonishingly well done, and sets up TNiBT to be an imperative new release for young readers.
However, my issue with this book comes from the time travel aspect. The overall marketing (the title, the cover on my proof copy, the summary blurb) really set this up to be a magical time-traveling adventure. By the end of the book, I was left wondering why. The time traveling aspects are mostly only used as a framing device for Zubair's family revelations, and the few people in the story who know the truth about time travel are entirely too casual about the power's existence. I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with the plot while waiting for the magic to take off and for the "time-travel adventure" to begin.
Overall, as a contemporary story about family dynamics and heritage aimed at young readers, I would say this book really soars. Unfortunately, for children who come to this one looking for a genuinely magical adventure, TNiBT leaves something to be desired.
I have big mixed feelings about this one, and I think a lot of them are due to the presentation of the book. After finishing it, I would describe TNiBT as a coming of age story about family dynamics, ancestral history, and coming to terms with the fact that life won't always go the way that you want it to. A big part of this book focuses on the realisation that parents (and grandparents) are simply human beings with their own dreams and struggles - not simply "Mum" and "Dad." Zubair's multicultural heritage is also an overarching theme, and the way that Zubair reconciles aspects of British-Pakistani life comes across with the matter-of-factness and fluidity that only children can convey. All of this is astonishingly well done, and sets up TNiBT to be an imperative new release for young readers.
However, my issue with this book comes from the time travel aspect. The overall marketing (the title, the cover on my proof copy, the summary blurb) really set this up to be a magical time-traveling adventure. By the end of the book, I was left wondering why. The time traveling aspects are mostly only used as a framing device for Zubair's family revelations, and the few people in the story who know the truth about time travel are entirely too casual about the power's existence. I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with the plot while waiting for the magic to take off and for the "time-travel adventure" to begin.
Overall, as a contemporary story about family dynamics and heritage aimed at young readers, I would say this book really soars. Unfortunately, for children who come to this one looking for a genuinely magical adventure, TNiBT leaves something to be desired.
January 1, 2026
4.5 stars
“So, remember, Zubair: you borrow; you pay back.”
I borrowed time last night to finish this and I’m paying for it this morning!
A great read!
I loved the evocative portrayal of the chaotic, energetic Miah household. Iqbal Hussain brings his characters to life with affection, humour, and an eye for quirky detail.
As one of seven sons, and the only son outside of sextuplets, Zubair’s life can be a grind sometimes. What’s worse is that his dad is bed-bound, having crashed his taxi, and his mum is having to work every hour to make ends meet. This tense situation is taking its toll on the household and the parents’ relationship.
When Gran flies over from Pakistan to help out, Zubair is about to learn a whole lot more about his family and how they got to this point. Gran also brings a family heirloom: the key to time travel! To begin with, Zubair dabbles lightly with his new ability but then realises: this could be the answer to all his problems. Can he change the course of history and in doing so save his parents’ marriage?
Iqbal Hussain uses time travel as a device to give us a long lens view of one family and its fortunes over decades of history.
Zubair’s Great-Uncle, Akram is missing from the future because he was caught up in the brutal violence of the partitioning of India- one of an estimated 2 million people who died as a direct result of the violence or from disease from mass movement and squalor.
This book introduces younger readers to the partition era (which is not a mandatory aspect of the British history curriculum) and shows how this brutal moment changed lives forever by putting a very intimate, personal face to a huge historical moment.
This is a very engaging middle grade read that shines a light on a wonderful British-Pakistani family, whilst also showing the traumatic events in recent history that have shaped the family.
Cover: Hazem Asif
“So, remember, Zubair: you borrow; you pay back.”
I borrowed time last night to finish this and I’m paying for it this morning!
A great read!
I loved the evocative portrayal of the chaotic, energetic Miah household. Iqbal Hussain brings his characters to life with affection, humour, and an eye for quirky detail.
As one of seven sons, and the only son outside of sextuplets, Zubair’s life can be a grind sometimes. What’s worse is that his dad is bed-bound, having crashed his taxi, and his mum is having to work every hour to make ends meet. This tense situation is taking its toll on the household and the parents’ relationship.
When Gran flies over from Pakistan to help out, Zubair is about to learn a whole lot more about his family and how they got to this point. Gran also brings a family heirloom: the key to time travel! To begin with, Zubair dabbles lightly with his new ability but then realises: this could be the answer to all his problems. Can he change the course of history and in doing so save his parents’ marriage?
Iqbal Hussain uses time travel as a device to give us a long lens view of one family and its fortunes over decades of history.
Zubair’s Great-Uncle, Akram is missing from the future because he was caught up in the brutal violence of the partitioning of India- one of an estimated 2 million people who died as a direct result of the violence or from disease from mass movement and squalor.
This book introduces younger readers to the partition era (which is not a mandatory aspect of the British history curriculum) and shows how this brutal moment changed lives forever by putting a very intimate, personal face to a huge historical moment.
This is a very engaging middle grade read that shines a light on a wonderful British-Pakistani family, whilst also showing the traumatic events in recent history that have shaped the family.
Cover: Hazem Asif
January 4, 2026
What an interesting start to my reading year! Eleven-year-old Zubair is a seventh son, with six older brothers known to everyone as The Six. His mum works in a biscuit factory, and his dad works as a taxi driver. His family isn’t quite harmonious, but things are ticking along. Until, that is, his dad has an accident while driving and Zubair watches as his parents drift further and further apart. He feels helpless.
But then his gran comes to stay. He’s never met her before, but she weaves story after story while they sit on boxes of broken biscuits his mum brings back from the factory, and Zubair listens intently. She also brings along with her a taweez - an amulet that helps him, in the right conditions, travel through time. And it’s a privilege only afforded to seventh sons.
The time travel system was different to any other I’ve read before, and that was to its credit. Not too complicated, yet not too simplistic either. One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the amount I learned from reading this book. As Zubair rightly points out, events in world history like the Partition were never covered as part of our history curriculum, and they absolutely should be. Hussain did a brilliant job of painting a picture of Zubair’s family and their home too - I felt like I was walking into their living room with them all, ready to listen to their gran’s stories.
But then his gran comes to stay. He’s never met her before, but she weaves story after story while they sit on boxes of broken biscuits his mum brings back from the factory, and Zubair listens intently. She also brings along with her a taweez - an amulet that helps him, in the right conditions, travel through time. And it’s a privilege only afforded to seventh sons.
The time travel system was different to any other I’ve read before, and that was to its credit. Not too complicated, yet not too simplistic either. One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the amount I learned from reading this book. As Zubair rightly points out, events in world history like the Partition were never covered as part of our history curriculum, and they absolutely should be. Hussain did a brilliant job of painting a picture of Zubair’s family and their home too - I felt like I was walking into their living room with them all, ready to listen to their gran’s stories.
January 31, 2026
Good solid middle grade read. I found it a bit difficult with The Six, having all those brothers in & out and the stretched relationship between the mother and father.
I loved the relationship Zubair and his gran though, this really grew as he discovers he can go back in time.
What could he change to make his parents not argue & the crash not happen?
A good lesson in being careful what you wish for as Zubair finds out that he is rather happy with his life as it is.
A very interesting look at a historical moment in time of Partition that displaced millions and is not taught in schools anymore.
I thought the chase through the cornfields was such a moving piece of writing as you felt their fear and what it must have been like for children caught up in the horrors that followed the announcement.
A lot to discuss which makes this a great read for children 9-14years
I loved the relationship Zubair and his gran though, this really grew as he discovers he can go back in time.
What could he change to make his parents not argue & the crash not happen?
A good lesson in being careful what you wish for as Zubair finds out that he is rather happy with his life as it is.
A very interesting look at a historical moment in time of Partition that displaced millions and is not taught in schools anymore.
I thought the chase through the cornfields was such a moving piece of writing as you felt their fear and what it must have been like for children caught up in the horrors that followed the announcement.
A lot to discuss which makes this a great read for children 9-14years
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2026
The Night I Borrowed Time by Iqbal Hussain is a lyrical, time twisting adventure with an enormous heart.
Zubair is a seventh son and suddenly finds himself in possession of his gran’s mysterious amulet. What follows is funny, thrilling and deeply moving as he uses his gift of time travel to try and fix his fractured family. We are with him every step of the way. Every brave decision. Every risky leap into the past. Every unintended consequence.
Iqbal weaves a rich tapestry of family history, cultural heritage and present day struggle alongside a rip roaring adventure that genuinely keeps you turning the pages. The emotional beats land beautifully, balancing humour with heartbreak in a way that feels honest and earned.
A rare gem of a book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
Zubair is a seventh son and suddenly finds himself in possession of his gran’s mysterious amulet. What follows is funny, thrilling and deeply moving as he uses his gift of time travel to try and fix his fractured family. We are with him every step of the way. Every brave decision. Every risky leap into the past. Every unintended consequence.
Iqbal weaves a rich tapestry of family history, cultural heritage and present day struggle alongside a rip roaring adventure that genuinely keeps you turning the pages. The emotional beats land beautifully, balancing humour with heartbreak in a way that feels honest and earned.
A rare gem of a book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
July 24, 2025
Zubair lives with his Mum and Dad and older, sextuplet brothers in a small house. His parents are not getting on, his brothers tease him mercilessly, his Dad's had a serious car accident and now his Gran has come to stay and he has to share his room with her and her dentures. If only life could be different! Then he discovers that as the 7th son, he has the gift of time travel and can alter his present. He also discovers that maybe life wasn't too bad after all. Features Northern family life, Indian partition, relationships, time travel and biscuits with moral dilemma thrown in. Highly recommend.
October 8, 2025
This is the story of a boy who discovers he has the ability to travel back in time. He decides to use this power to try and fix his parents' crumbling marriage, but changing the past has unexpected consequences — he'll have to risk everything to put things back to right.
I absolutely love this book. The voice strikes the perfect balance between heartfelt and humourous, and the characters were all so wonderfully unique and vivid. The main character has six older brothers, and the way the author managed to make each boy memorable is a mark of immense skill and writing craft. I'm impressed!
I absolutely love this book. The voice strikes the perfect balance between heartfelt and humourous, and the characters were all so wonderfully unique and vivid. The main character has six older brothers, and the way the author managed to make each boy memorable is a mark of immense skill and writing craft. I'm impressed!
February 9, 2026
A fantastic coming of age novel with some time travel thrown in. I loved everything about that book. The characters seemed very true and authentic, the emotions seemed very real and the plot is tightly woven. I gobbled the majority up in two days (I was too tired to read it during the week but it is not the book’s fault I’m a teacher). I learned about Partition which I didn’t really know about before and it has made me curious to learn more. Definitely going to buy a copy for my school library.
February 2, 2026
I really liked this book I read most of it in a day so the reason I rated it a four I feel like it was over pretty fast like it was building up to a big finale and then it was just over.
I still really enjoyed it and my favourite part was when he was with his dad and he was trying to make him not go to work because it was a really emotional part.
I still really enjoyed it and my favourite part was when he was with his dad and he was trying to make him not go to work because it was a really emotional part.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2026
the funniest, warmest, most emotional journey through time and history from a beautifully original voice
February 1, 2026
3.5 stars.
January 15, 2026
The Night I Borrowed Time by Iqbal Hussein is a lyrical and thrilling time-twisty tale with big, big heart! Zubair is a seventh son and he is now in the possession of his gran’s old amulet. We are with him every step of the way as he uses his gift of time-travelling to try and fix his family. Iqbal weaves a rich tapestry of family drama and history alongside a rip-roaring adventure that will enchant readers and keep them on the edge of their seats. This book is a rare gem!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews