Doctor Who: Borrowed Time

by Nicola Prentis (Adapter), Naomi Alderman

Andrew Brown is a trader for a big international bank. He makes lots of money every day, but he never has enough time. Now, he might found a way to borrow some - and at a very reasonable interest rate! But will it make his life easier, or will more time just give him more trouble?

Penguin Readers is a series of the best new fiction, essential non-fiction and popular classics written for learners of English as a foreign language. Beautifully illustrated and carefully adapted, the series introduces language learners around the world to the bestselling authors and most compelling content from Penguin Random House. The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework and include language activities that help readers to develop key skills.

Doctor Who: Borrowed Time, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly.

Genres: Doctor Who

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Josh Caporale · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I am not the most reliably source when it comes to the Doctor Who fandom, for my viewership of the series is very minimal as is my interest. My rating could be subject to change based on my acquisition on what I learn from the series, but it does not benefit to not know about the series and pick up this book. It will feel like attending a class, you missed the major details, and you will need to go back and pick up more.

My rating, however, is based on the quality of the story. I felt that there were so many things that were forced within this piece and that the quality of the characters was a bit thin. I have heard good things about the Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith) and I can see that being reflected within this piece, but this plays so much like an episode of the TV show, where Andrew Brown, Sameera Jenkins, and the other characters that are strictly meant to take part in this story only matter for the sake of the episode. If it reads as such, it may make for a better work, but this work demonstrates that it is strictly for Doctor Who viewers.

The story itself has to do with a deal that Andrew Brown makes with a Mr. Symington and a Mr. Blenkinsop in the form of a watch where one could borrow time with getting interest back in exchange. Of course, there are caveats that are taken advantage of within the "terms and conditions" (one cannot trust the "terms and conditions" since "The Human CentiPad" on South Park) and it takes The Eleventh Doctor and his assistants, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, to help sort this issue out.

Strong enough premise, but elements that I have seen time and time again.

[E.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still trying to figure out the use of B1 and higher graded readers. Whether or not it was down to the language level though, this retained a good amount of the style and flavour of the original and was quite readable. There are some drastic plot changes to allow for a shorter story - it's actually fun to read this one, then the original and spot the differences. You'll be in for some surprises.

[Frannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was convinced I bought the full book when I got this so it sucked when I found out it wasn't the full thing. But that's okay, it was still a really good book and I actually can't wait now to read the full version to get more details :))

[The_Dutch_Geek · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boring attempt at the Doctor

[Estef Riv · Rating 3 out of 5]

me gustó pero creo q fue difícil de leer en inglés