The beginning of the 20 century saw the first story for children that included time travel.
Eleven years after H.G. Wells' iconic novel The Time Machine (1895) Edith Nesbit published The
Story of the Amulet in 1906. This pioneer contribution to children's literature revealed what
could be done and introduced time travel as a major theme in children's books. Scholarship has
focused on exemplary studies on time travel in children's literature but a comprehensive
survey has not yet been conducted. This study responds to this shortcoming and investigates
British time travel narratives for children from its early stages in 1906 until the beginning
of the st 21 century. Thus spanning over one hundred years it traces shifts in the
explanations of travels through time and demonstrates the extent to which writers have used
this device.
