Science Fiction & Fantasy
![S.A. Cosby - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B07J1785FN.jpg)
The Rhythm of Time
From 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.
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.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for The Rhythm of Time:
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
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
Readers Top Reviews
Channah
Lovely and beautiful so far... Still reading it... - Channahsorah.
Short Excerpt Teaser
When he got home, Rahim saw a note from his mother and father saying they were out getting groceries. He slammed the door and stomped up to his room. Harris was right. Even if his dad thought having easy access to a computer was going to rot his brain, that didn't mean he couldn't at least let Rahim have a decent phone. He would never understand why his dad seemed to hate technology so much. Maybe he'd had a bad experience with a calculator as a kid.
Rahim closed the door to his room and fell across his bed. Horror movie posters fought for space with old-school hip-hop posters on his walls. N.E.R.D., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Outkast, and his Four the Hard Way posters took up the most space. Two bookshelves full of horror novels and a few mysteries lined the far wall. Other than those few possessions, his room was sparse.
Rahim pulled the cell phone out of his back pocket and touched the screen. It lit up with a pale greenish light. His name was in Old English letters across the top of the screen. There were also several icons for different apps. Rahim tapped on the search engine icon. Yesterday he'd told an eensy-weensy lie about having a social studies paper due. Today his teacher actually assigned them a paper. Might as well get a start on it. He typed the words Philadelphia Public Library into the search bar. His paper was about the library system-one of his favorite subjects. The phone might be a hideous blue, but he could still use it to do his homework. He just wouldn't take it to school again. Ever.
The screen glowed as the green LED on the top blinked on and off like it was winking at him.
"Don't tell me this gonna die already." Rahim shook the phone up and down with both hands.
The screen began to glow brighter.
"Come on."
The screen flickered in time with the green LED.
I should've asked her how long I gotta shake this thing, he thought.
The screen stopped flickering and went black. Rahim stopped shaking the phone.
"Did I break it?"
In a flash the screen glowed so bright it hurt his eyes. He squeezed them tight. At the same time, a strange sensation flowed over his whole body. It was like he was swimming in warm, gooey water.
The white light from the phone died down.
He no longer felt like he was swimming. He felt cold. No, scratch that- he was freezing.
Rahim opened his eyes.
"What the . . . ?" he said, but his words trailed off into a muffled grumbling. He suddenly realized why he was cold.
He wasn't in his room. He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the West Side branch of the Philadelphia Library. Rahim shook his head. People filed around him as his mouth gaped open.
"I gotta be dreaming," he said to no one in particular. He almost pinched himself, but he knew for a fact he wasn't dreaming. The cold stinging his cheeks told him that much.
"Oh man. Oh man. OH MAN." He wasn't sure how far the library was from his house, but he was sure he hadn't sleepwalked over here.
"Man, it's soooo cold," Rahim said.
"You got that right." Nodding, a homeless man pushed a shopping cart past him. Rahim stared at the back of the man's head as he continued down the street. He could have sworn he'd seen him before.
Rahim touched the screen on his phone. Maybe this was some computer simulation Kasia had installed in the phone. No, that was silly. He wasn't even wearing a VR visor. He had to get back home. He could figure it all out once he got out of the cold. He touched the screen and pulled up the map icon. He didn't know if he had enough for a cab and he wasn't sure if there was a subway nearby. He typed in his address and hit ENTER.
The green LED began to flicker on and off again.
"Oh, come-" Rahim began to say.
The phone glowed with the same blinding white light.
"-on," he finished.
Rahim looked around. He was standing in front of his house.
"What is going on!?"
It didn't matter. Right now, it was too cold to be standing outside without a jacket. Rahim went in the house and closed the door behind him.
"I didn't hear you leave," his dad said, sitting in his chair, but this time he had a larger book in his lap. Rahim stopped short.
"I thought you and Mom were at the grocery store," Rahim mumbled.
"We've been back for an hour....
Rahim closed the door to his room and fell across his bed. Horror movie posters fought for space with old-school hip-hop posters on his walls. N.E.R.D., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Outkast, and his Four the Hard Way posters took up the most space. Two bookshelves full of horror novels and a few mysteries lined the far wall. Other than those few possessions, his room was sparse.
Rahim pulled the cell phone out of his back pocket and touched the screen. It lit up with a pale greenish light. His name was in Old English letters across the top of the screen. There were also several icons for different apps. Rahim tapped on the search engine icon. Yesterday he'd told an eensy-weensy lie about having a social studies paper due. Today his teacher actually assigned them a paper. Might as well get a start on it. He typed the words Philadelphia Public Library into the search bar. His paper was about the library system-one of his favorite subjects. The phone might be a hideous blue, but he could still use it to do his homework. He just wouldn't take it to school again. Ever.
The screen glowed as the green LED on the top blinked on and off like it was winking at him.
"Don't tell me this gonna die already." Rahim shook the phone up and down with both hands.
The screen began to glow brighter.
"Come on."
The screen flickered in time with the green LED.
I should've asked her how long I gotta shake this thing, he thought.
The screen stopped flickering and went black. Rahim stopped shaking the phone.
"Did I break it?"
In a flash the screen glowed so bright it hurt his eyes. He squeezed them tight. At the same time, a strange sensation flowed over his whole body. It was like he was swimming in warm, gooey water.
The white light from the phone died down.
He no longer felt like he was swimming. He felt cold. No, scratch that- he was freezing.
Rahim opened his eyes.
"What the . . . ?" he said, but his words trailed off into a muffled grumbling. He suddenly realized why he was cold.
He wasn't in his room. He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the West Side branch of the Philadelphia Library. Rahim shook his head. People filed around him as his mouth gaped open.
"I gotta be dreaming," he said to no one in particular. He almost pinched himself, but he knew for a fact he wasn't dreaming. The cold stinging his cheeks told him that much.
"Oh man. Oh man. OH MAN." He wasn't sure how far the library was from his house, but he was sure he hadn't sleepwalked over here.
"Man, it's soooo cold," Rahim said.
"You got that right." Nodding, a homeless man pushed a shopping cart past him. Rahim stared at the back of the man's head as he continued down the street. He could have sworn he'd seen him before.
Rahim touched the screen on his phone. Maybe this was some computer simulation Kasia had installed in the phone. No, that was silly. He wasn't even wearing a VR visor. He had to get back home. He could figure it all out once he got out of the cold. He touched the screen and pulled up the map icon. He didn't know if he had enough for a cab and he wasn't sure if there was a subway nearby. He typed in his address and hit ENTER.
The green LED began to flicker on and off again.
"Oh, come-" Rahim began to say.
The phone glowed with the same blinding white light.
"-on," he finished.
Rahim looked around. He was standing in front of his house.
"What is going on!?"
It didn't matter. Right now, it was too cold to be standing outside without a jacket. Rahim went in the house and closed the door behind him.
"I didn't hear you leave," his dad said, sitting in his chair, but this time he had a larger book in his lap. Rahim stopped short.
"I thought you and Mom were at the grocery store," Rahim mumbled.
"We've been back for an hour....
