Running Out of Time, the action-packed debut thriller by author Simon Fox, has been shortlisted for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award Shortlist for 2023 in the Longer Novels Category.

Launched in 1988 to encourage children and young people to read, and to highlight the best literature published each year, the Sheffield Children’s Book Awards celebrate books and what they do for the Sheffield Community. Hundreds of children from across the city take part every year by voting for their favourite book through local schools and libraries. You can see the full shortlists here.

A thrilling, unputdownable debut with extraordinary twists and incredible action, Running Out of Time is an exhilarating middle-grade read from an incredible new voice in children’s fiction.

I can steal time.

The most I can take at the moment is fifteen seconds, which is not a lot. Grandmother took almost three minutes once and she told me she’s done more, but I never saw it.

She says there are stories of someone who can take all the time in the world, but how can that be right?

When Alex and his father are forced to flee their home to escape a brutal government, they begin a life-threatening journey across Europe. But when they are separated before they can reach Britain, Alex finds himself alone, with only his extraordinary gift to keep him alive.

Running Out of Time is out now. Grab your copy here or, better, via your local bookshop or Bookshop.org.