TEHRAN – “Time Travelling with a Hamster” by the English children’s science-fiction and fantasy author Ross Welford, has been published in Persian.Samin Nabipur is the translator of the book published by Ofoq.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 commercial appeal, this incredible debut has it all: heart, humor, vividly imagined characters and a pitch-perfect voice.Welford was born in Cullercoats, a small seaside town in the northeast of England.

It appears in his books as “Culvercot”.After university, he moved to London and became a journalist and then, after a few years, a television producer.He worked on many well-known, and more best-forgotten shows, including ITV’s “This Morning” with Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan; Channel 4’s “Big Breakfast” and the long-running “Pet Rescue”. Among many others, he also did a magic series for “Sky”, a three-part documentary in Spain for Channel 4, a celebrity chat show with Jimmy Tarbuck, a comedy clip-show, an anarchic late-night discussion program, “Bridezillas” and a teenage reality show called “Cruel Summer”.He began writing “Time Travelling with a Hamster” in 2014.

It was published in January 2016.

His second book, “What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible” followed a year later.Photo: A combination photo shows Ross Welford and the front cover of his book “Time Travelling with a Hamster”.MMS/YAW