The Rhythm of Time (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
Whew...non-stop action in this propulsive time-travel adventure filled with fun musical references, expanding vortexes, snappy dialogue and great characters in Rahim & Kasia. Bring on the next one!
(Juvenile Science Fiction, ages 10+) Find more Staff Picks by Maureen
— MaureenFrom the Academy Award–winning, Grammy-winning, and New York Times bestselling author Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and the New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby comes this thrill-a-minute novel—the first in a rollicking time-travel adventure series that’s perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky.
Seventh grader Rahim Reynolds loves testing out the gadgets invented by his brilliant friend Kasia Collins. First there were the X-ray glasses and all the trouble they caused. Now there’s the new cell phone she built for his birthday, even though his parents won’t let him have one. But Rahim is excited to use the phone to search for videos of his favorite old-school rap group. What he doesn’t know is the phone has a special battery that interfaces with a secret government satellite, which spells trouble when the phone transports him back to 1997. Almost immediately, he learns what every time traveler before him has: Actions in the past jeopardize the future. With Kasia as his only lifeline to the present, Rahim works with her to get home unscathed, all the while dodging bullies (on his end) and suspicious government agents (on hers).
Philadelphia in the late nineties is a new world for Rahim and Kasia, but it is a familiar place for Questlove, who, alongside S. A. Cosby, delivers a high-velocity tale where two best friends discover that sometimes the best beat is the one that brings you back home.
S. A. Cosby is an Anthony Award-winning writer from Southeastern Virginia. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book, and was named a best book of the year by NPR, The Guardian, and Library Journal, among others.
An Amazon Best Book of the Month – April 2023
“A speculative adventure . . . [and] an engaging love letter to the ’90s that gives way to a heartwarming story of love and support.” —Publishers Weekly
“In this entertaining novel centering Black tweens by noted musician and filmmaker Questlove and bestselling author Cosby . . . time-travel hijinks and ’90s rap references abound in [this] fun and funny series starter.” —Kirkus Reviews
“There are many tense moments as Rahim attempts to keep his identity a secret and as Kasia outwits both her parents and government agents to try to come to Rahim’s rescue and correct the timeline. . . Young readers looking for a fun romp will find it here.” —School Library Connection