Books

Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller

the hilarious bestselling debut - for fans of Lottie Brooks with added time travel!

Amelia Tait, Author

Paperback

Series: Lily Tripp

Imprint: Starboard

Publication date: May 28, 2026

Category: Humorous stories (Children's / Teenage)

ISBN: 9781444931983

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Why is my life SO last century? Meet accidental time traveller Lily Tripp as she bounces throughout history navigating friendship dramas and family.

The hilarious debut diary of the summer and an instant bestseller, selected as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, June 2026.

‘All the heart and humour of Lottie Brooks and Georgia Nicolson’
ANNA JAMES, author of Pages & Co.

‘Time travel has never felt so funny’
ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG, author of Evenfall: The Golden Linnet

Why is my life so last century?
My name is Lily, I’m 13, and I have a big secret: every New Year’s Eve when the clock strikes midnight, I time travel to a totally different era. Talk about inconvenient.

Luckily my cat, my best friend, and my not-so-secret crush always turn up, too. But why is my archnemesis, Georgia, so good at ye olde insults? How does anyone survive in ancient times without chicken nuggets? And why on earth can’t I stay in one century?!

Readers love LILY TRIPP:

‘Best book ever! . . . better than Lottie Brooks’ reader, age 10

‘Laugh-out-loud, brilliantly funny. . . I can’t wait to see where Lily goes next’
HANNAH GOLD, author of The Last Bear

‘Meticulously researched history meets hilariously relatable misadventure in this surefire winner for 10+ Lottie Brooks fans’
Guardian, best new novels for children and teens

‘This gorgeous time-travelling debut is one for every children’s shelf. Highly entertaining…’
Telegraph, Children’s Book of the Week

‘This book is seriously funny and the historical details are fascinating. Lottie Brooks readers will love it’ Irish Independent

‘Relatable, funny and filled with fascinating facts . . . time travelling with Lily Tripp was pure joy!’
JEN CARNEY, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

‘Hilarious and relatable. . . I wish I could travel back in time to read it for the first time all over again!’
NIYLA FAROOK, award-winning author of Murder for Two

Reviews

Hilarious and relatable ... I wish I could travel back in time to read it for the first time all over again!

Hugely entertaining - time travel has never felt so funny

A brilliant debut. Relatable, funny and filled with fascinating facts from the past, time travelling with Lily Tripp was pure joy!

Lily's young teen voice is spot on and her on-going crush (through the ages) on Ollie, and friendship ups and downs with her best friend Poppy are beautifully portrayed. Above all, this book is seriously funny and the historical details are fascinating. Lottie Brooks and older Milly McCarthy readers will love it

Irish Independent

Told through punchy and accessible diary entries, this stunning debut story mixes laugh-out-loud humour with contemporary friendship worries, family life and a quiet crush. Each jump bring a new historical setting to life, launching a spectacular time-slip series for 10+ year old readers. Addictively readable

School Reading List

Lottie Brooks and older Milly McCarthy readers will love it

Belfast Telegraph

Funny, heartwarming and filled with snippets of cool history! It's such a unique story and one that I was keen to continue reading! I am desperate to know what else happens and when Lily lives next- I would happily read this as a series! What a cool way to teach history, events and family life through the ages!

My Shelves Are Full blog

A great mix of drama and historical adventure that tweens and teens will love

The School Reading List

Perfect for young readers who love historical fiction that doesn't take itself too seriously

Book Riot

School Reading List

Meticulously researched history meets hilariously relatable misadventure in this surefire winner for 10+ Lottie Brooks fans

The Guardian

Not just funny and fast-paced, but surprisingly full of historical facts, this hugely entertaining debut makes learning about the past feel effortless

iNews

A time-travelling teenage diary is an ambitious concept for a debut novel but Amelia Tait pulls it off beautifully

The Bookseller

A laugh-out-loud, brilliantly funny story. . . Clever, time-bending, and irresistible

All the heart and humour of Lottie Brooks and Georgia Nicolson with added time travel hijinks, Lily Tripp is sure to be your new favourite heroine

This gorgeous time-travelling debut is one for every children's shelf. Highly entertaining... Tait is superb at inhabiting Lily's unguarded adolescent conscience, and her simply told story of a modern girl's attempts to navigate a world without telephones or chicken nuggets will find huge appeal

The Telegraph, Children's Book of the Week