Bob and his best friend Malcom have a dream. They want to win the local Griffin’s Got Talent show coming up at school. The $50 prize is perfect for printing off a couple of t-shirts for their band – The Tentacles of Time. They think they’ve got a good chance, but Bob’s annoying neighbour Gloria tells them they’re dreaming.

That’s not the only problem Bob is dealing with. He is a time traveller, but with no control over it. At first it was only ten minutes into the future but then it’s decades! Meeting with his older self is freaky at first, but each time he is thrown forward in time, he learns a little more about the world’s future.

As expected, technology is much advanced, but also has taken a terrible turn. Leaving the house is nearly impossible as groups of zombies lurk everywhere. These zombies wear a strange hat that dangles a phone screen in front of their faces. Their goal in life is to take selfies – all the time. If they can get you in it, even better.

Bob learns more and more each time he is hurled forward into his future, but each time he returns to his 11 year old self, his plans to prevent the selfie zombies fail again and again. When he jumps again, the world is even worse! Can he change the fate of the world or is it already sealed in zombie horror?

This funny zombie horror time-travel story has everything. Laughs, friendship, a guilty secret, smiling zombies who bite and a school talent show that must be won at any cost.

The time travel aspect is fun as main character Bob does the unusual in time travel – meets up and works with his future self. But the concept of going back in time to prevent problems in the future is far from smooth, in fact causing even more problems. Young Bob learns from old Bob each time he jumps, even though he’s not impressed with his future career or girlfriend.

Themes of tech turning us into zombies is clear as is the advice of not losing a sense of fun as you age. Bob even learns where his time-travel skills come from in a touching reunion.

Fun read with even funnier illustrations.

Author – Andy Jones

Illustrator – Robin Boyden

Age – 7+

(2023, Piccadilly Books, Allen & Unwin, Action, Friendship, Family, Love, Future, Secret, Time travel, Humour, Growing up, Zombies, Funny, Band, Talent Show, Rival)