The Rhythm of Time by Questlove and S.A. Crosby

This book is a finalist for a 2023 Cybils Award in Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction.

What worked:

The simplicity of the plot quickly becomes much more complicated. Rahim is accidentally transported to 1997 and his sole motivation is getting back to the present without disrupting history. Fortunately for young readers, Rahim fails miserably when it comes to being unnoticed after he befriends Omar, his future father. The most interesting aspect of the story is how Rahim gets to see a different side of the adults in his life. His father, uncle, and grandparents display young lives that are in stark contrast to the adults he’s grown up with. Adults often have dreams and interests as kids that they’re forced to give up when they start careers and families. Rahim is able to witness the changes in people he knows and it affects his understanding of them in the end.

Kasia is Rahim’s home-schooled, best friend and neighbor and she’s a technological genius. She builds a cell phone that ties into government satellites and accidentally transports Rahim into the past. She also builds a small drone that can follow less specific instructions and can become invisible by going into stealth mode. Her bedroom looks like a computer geek’s dream until government agents confiscate all of her equipment. Career scientists and Noble prize winners spend lifetimes trying to understand transporting and time travel but twelve-year-old Kasia successfully masters the concepts. Her conversations with 1997 Rahim contribute humor to the book.

Young readers may connect with the musical references throughout the whole story. Rahim comes up with freestyle verses and he loves an older-generation group Four the Hard Way, an actual band. Rahim gets favorable responses when he posts one of his songs but its success makes him the target of the school bully. Traveling to the past opens Rahim’s eyes to the fact that his father and uncle share his interest in music. Weaving the culture of this music into a successful adventure through time travel requires creative talent from the author.

What didn’t work as well:

Believability is a challenging part of this book. Much of the story is reasonable, in a speculative fiction manner, but some of Kasia’s creations are a stretch. Even if she comes up with innovative ideas, how does she amass the materials to actually pull them off? Also, the appearance of vortexes creates suspense but they allow the characters plenty of time to resolve the problem.

The final verdict:

Helping a young person develop an understanding of the adults in his life is the most endearing part of the book. It addresses the paradoxes of time travel head-on resulting in an entertaining adventure into the past. I recommend you give this book a shot.