Cousins Otto and Sheed Alston are in a race against time—against stopped time that is. When a being called Mr. Flux freezes time in their town, the duo, with help from a mysterious man called TimeStar, who seems to know a lot about them, sets out to save the day. While beasts called Time Sucks threaten to destroy everything in their path, Clock Watchers, personifications of various times of day (e.g., Bedtime, Quitting Time, Golden Hour, A.M. and P.M.), are gradually aligning themselves on the side of good (the boys) or evil (Mr. Flux). Otto is methodical; Sheed full of heart; they are sometimes at odds with each other, and, from Otto’s perspective, definitely at odds with the Ellison twins, Wiki and Leen, sisters who have been stiff competition when it comes to past heroics, for which all four are known. While the cousins dive into the past to unravel the origins of Mr. Flux, the sisters work out the mechanics of battling the threat in the present. Fast-paced and funny, there is plenty of verbal sparring in the relationship between the boys and among the four, who are Black, but also plenty of warmth in this clever adventure tale. (Ages 8–11)