Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn is an atmospheric middle-grade time-travel ghost story. It was initially published in the 1990s and adapted into a new audiobook version in 2024! It’s a wonderful blend of heartwarming family bonds, buried secrets, historical fiction, and time travel!

The story centers on Andrew, a shy boy who is sent to stay with an elderly aunt in an old family mansion. He is given a room where a boy named Andrew once lived before dying of illness as a child. Hearing sounds in the night, he vectors to the attic, where he meets a ghostly boy—also named Andrew—from the year 1910. Andrew, realizing he died and time has moved on, swaps places in time with Drew. Drew, waking up to a new reality in 1910 as “Andrew,” is determined to get his real life back.

The haunting mansion is the perfect backdrop to this eerie ghost story—its decaying facade, creaky floors and doors, and creepy great-grandfather Edward, who lives there, all add to the suspense. The historical elements are vivid but not overwhelming—readers get a glimpse of early 20th-century rural family life, complete with the looming threat of a deadly diphtheria outbreak!

Drew and Andrew are both compelling, expressive characters—but in opposite ways. While Andrew is rebellious and daring, Drew is much more cautious and timid. When Drew is forced to go back in time and take Andrew’s place, Andrew’s family members immediately notice that he’s not himself but chalk it up to him having almost died of diphtheria. Putting up a front of being someone he’s not and fitting into a world from almost a century earlier soon becomes dangerous. Fortunately, the two boys meet up in the attic at night to discuss the happenings in each other’s swapped lives—but Andrew, with his mischievous spirit, won’t swap back his life until Drew beats him at marbles (or so he says).

In reality, Andrew’s reason for not going back is his fear of dying in a different way—and understandably so! Readers don’t get many details of Andrew’s experiences in the modern world, but Drew has many with Andrew’s family members and grows to love them, making it difficult to leave them by the end. His emotional arc is deep for a children’s novel—he begins as timid and uncertain, but the switch forces him to grow, confront fears, and ultimately take responsibility for his life.

The pacing begins a bit slow but picks up once Drew experiences life in 1910, especially when being bullied by Andrew’s cousin Edward—and there’s an interesting twist to Andrew’s conflict with Edward. The resolution in the story is tidy and heartfelt—and will please readers of all ages. For this reason the story has remained a standout in children’s ghost stories for decades and is a perfect option to read together as a family! Readers who enjoy middle-grade fiction, atmospheric suspense, ghost stories, time travel, and historical fiction will love this book!