The Super Terrific Time Travel Book List

by Jerri Chisholm

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7 books

Oh, to travel through time! But wait—you can! All you need is a stack of books, and I’ve already picked them out for you. That’s right, here you’ll find books set in the past (hello WWII, you awful world-changing creature), books set in today’s imperfect world (and covering all the trending issues of our times), and books set in the future (a flawed future, that is, because let’s face it: there’s no such thing as utopia). I hope you’ll join me in grabbing a mug of hot chocolate, strapping on your armchair seatbelt, and taking a magical and book-fueled ride through time!

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The Paris Library

Janet Skeslien Charles, 2021

This book, taking place primarily during World War II in Paris, stars a group of librarians who are total badass heroes. Not only do they outsmart Nazis at every turn, but they also make sure the troops fighting on the front lines have all the books to read. It’s basically a peek into library life during the worst crisis in recent history, and—get this—it’s a book about the power of books. What’s not to love?

The Rose Code

Kate Quinn, 2021

This was a fascinating and delightful read. Grab your chicken noodle soup and enjoy traveling back in time to Bletchley Park, England, during World War II. This book stars a group of codebreakers stationed in this idyllic setting, doing imperative work to ensure victory against the Nazis. It’s a celebration of women’s crucial but often overlooked role during wartime, with a colorful assortment of characters and a helping of drama, to boot.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin, 2024

This book is one of my favorites. It’s set in contemporary times—the late 90s and early 2000s to be precise. Everything about it feels completely current, especially in its casual treatment of bisexuality, abortion, and more. It’s forward-thinking and fresh—even a death scene is treated in a new and captivating way. Even better? It’s all about gaming, which is a surprisingly captivating angle to the story (disclosure: I’m not a gamer, and I still loved it). At the end of the day, though, even more than gaming, it’s about the characters and their changing relationships over time, and man—did Zevin ever create some magic here. Highly recommend!

Such a Fun Age

Kiley Reid, 2019

This book deals with some pretty heavy stuff: race relations, class division, privilege—especially white privilege. And yet the dialogue is so realistic with so much sparkle that it doesn’t *feel* heavy. One unique thing I loved about the book? Reid’s portrayal of a well-intentioned and woke white woman as racist, demonstrating that discrimination doesn’t always present itself in the way you’d think.

Escaping Eleven

Jerri Chisholm, 2020

This action-packed book is super important to me…mostly because I wrote it. But, in all seriousness, if we were to time travel to the future, this book just may be a blueprint for our success (or, more likely, our failure). It’s set in a time when climate change has forced civilization underground, and it turns out that being cramped into tunnels down below only exacerbates the worst of humankind. One girl named Eve Hamilton, however, is determined to change all that.

A Winter's Promise

Christelle Dabos, 2018

This is a beautiful book, also set in the imperfect future. This time, thanks to war and the like, the world has quite literally been smashed apart, and life continues on floating Earth fragments called ‘arks’. The book follows Ophelia’s journey to a dangerous and fabulously surreal ark in the far north, where the inscrutable man she is forced to marry lives. The whole thing feels like an older Harry Potter crossed with The Golden Compass and splashed with some paint by Salvador Dali.

The Sordid Selection

A YA Cyberpunk Fantasy Romance series (Pretty Little Robots)

Jerri Chisholm, 2023

Anyone else wondering what society will look like in the future with the rise of Artificial Intelligence? In this book, citizens simply aren’t trusted with making important choices. No, best to leave spouse and career choices to the computers! Technology, after all, works great—until it doesn’t. Follow Alex to the mysterious Strath Glen castle, where she is destined to wed a man she loathes and serve as his handmaid…a fate she wholeheartedly rejects.