L'Engle has written an intellectually savvy story laced with good v. evil themes. The story centers on children characters Meg and Charles Wallace Murry and their friend Calvin. These children all have special but quirky qualities that have caused them challenges and struggles in their short lives. Through the story these quirks are reframed as special gifts that set these children apart and qualify them to participate in a great battle between good and evil.

The story is more abstract that the Narnia stories but still entertains and stimulates the imagination. The tale takes the children across time and space and introduces characters that transcend human's familiarity.

The conflict is between a dark force that seeks to control people's lives and control planets. This force has imprisoned Dr. Murry, Meg and Charles' father on a distant planet that he reached through his discovery of a technique to travel across space and time (a wrinkle in time.)

I read this book to my 6 year-old daughter who was intrigued and interested in the story. She asked questions about it and followed it, even when I thought it was too abstract for her to follow.

As this is the first book in the series, I look forward to reading the other books.

Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

This is a classic book, bringing together fantasy, magic, another world, family, and adventure all together in one story. Not every story is able to do that.
It has some slightly darker elements, but nothing like Harry Potter.
I remember adoring this book when I was younger, it sucked me right into the pages. I loved Meg and Charles.
I recently reread this book, and I have to say, I still enjoyed it. And now that the pages are faded, the story of magic and adventure into another world, still captivates me.

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle, is a book that I've read twice but completely loved. It is a story that has very advanced concepts for the early 1960's but is something that anyone could like. Meg Murry is a normal teenage girl: she has braces and looks normal. She doesn't do that well in school but is smart at home. On the other hand, her brother, Charles Wallace, is an all around genius. His age is five and understands most things a five year old couldn't. Meg and Charles Wallace meet a boy named Calvin, who is a friendly boy around Meg's age, around two years older, and all three of them hit it off, Meg a little slower than Charles Wallace. On a stormy night, a bizarre lady comes in and tells them random things.
Over the course of the book, Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace are all pulled into a fantasy world with different galaxies, "wrinkling", and different planets. This is all for Mr. Murry, who went missing a few years prior to this point in time. Overall, it was a satisfying book.

I still remember the first copy I ever read of this book. And then in the 6th grade I won as a prize the copy I now have. This is probably one of the greatest fantasies ever written. It existentialist, scientific, and downright practical sweet all in the same stroke of a pen. Not only that, but this is a book that will affect you with some of the strongest relationships and emotion I have ever seen in children's literature.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle had a great beginning. The first sentence starts out with "It was a dark and stormy night........." I think that is a great way to start out the story. In my view, the characters do not develop a well as I would of hoped they would as the story went along. I kind of got lost as I read the story, but that might just be me and not the books fault. But it might have been the reason. I found this book to give a good story but not as well as I pictured it when I first saw it. Overall, it might be a good kids book, but not for me....

I once heard a literary agent offer this "sound" advice: Never begin a book with information about the weather. I'm sure glad that Madeleine L'Engle didn't hear that because "It was a dark and stormy night," is a perfect way to begin this book about the Murry family and their adventures. If it hadn't been so stormy, then Meg might not have left the dark, loud, scary attic to join her mother and her brother Charles Wallace over sandwiches and hot chocolate. If they hadn't been all warm and cozy in the kitchen, then the visitor might not have appeared. As soon as the strangely dressed little old lady took off her soaked boots, I knew something memorable was about to happen...and it did.

Originally written and published as a children's book, the novel has several underlying themes: a quest for unknown places; the never ending battle of good and evil; the desire to be accepted regardless of looks, personality, peculiarities, or family; the need for love, love, and more love; the power of love to heal and encourage; the courage to risk everything when it becomes necessary; the interconnectedness of all creatures; and the desire to discover what else is out there in the universe. It's also a book chocked full of adventures that would appeal to a child.

At our book club meeting, we all agreed that A Wrinkle in Time is the type of novel that would appeal to young and old alike. We saw similarities between Meg and Charles Wallace's adventures and those of the children in the Narnia series, another set of books that we enjoyed.

Madeleine L'Engle's classic children's book, A Wrinkle in Time, tells the story of Meg Murry and her little brother Charles Wallace who, for the last two years, have been waiting for their father to return home. Published in 1962 this book is one of the hallmark young adult novels, and has the trappings of a more classic story.

In this story, Meg Murry is having problems at school and some difficulty at home due to her missing father. Her father, a physicist, is on some research project and is unable to communicate, leaving the family in the dark regarding his condition. Her younger brother Charles Wallace seems to be the only person that understands her, and is interestingly far more intelligent than his four year old body would indicate.

Charles Wallace meets some eccentric neighbors who end up being not the elderly women they appear to be. The old ladies take Charles Wallace and Meg, along with a new friend named Calvin, on a trip of sorts. Learning they have traveled to other planets they also find out that they are needed to help save their father who was captured by a powerful darkness.

The story is straight forward young adult material, the kids discover some power, search for the object, and then save the world. Following this type of recipe L'Engle creates a tale that takes the kids to different worlds and meet different creatures. The details are well written and the story is easy to follow. But, the story does show the classic symptoms of older books, such as poor dialogue, and the style is rather choppy to get through. The sentence structure doesn't seem to flow easily between independent clauses and independent with dependant clauses, a little erratic in way.

As a young adult story is seems a little difficult to get through compared with many of the newer books on the market whose storylines are more concise and the styles are defined more fluidly. The concept is solid, the tale itself engaging, but overall the text is a little too distracting to really get into the story. I could totally see this book either turned into a blockbuster movie nowadays or at least rewritten, with the rest of the Wrinkle in Time series, into a better constructed single volume.

As a parent, this would be a good story to read to a child around six or seven maybe where their understanding would be just enough to make it through the book with minimal interruption for explanations. It is a classic story and for those who enjoy that kind of nostalgia or enjoy the feeling that older styled texts provide then getting through this book would be a treat. For me, I think I'll stick with more modern tales.

I was in 4th grade when my mom first forced me to read this book with her. I did not want to at all, because I thought it looked stupid. Luckily, she didn't give me much of a choice. If she had, I never would have read one of my favorite books or discovered one of my very favorite authors! Really, everyone should give this book a chance! I am now in my 20's and will soon be a teacher. It is a wonderful book that both boys and girls (and parents) will love! The next several are just as good! It is a one of the few books I have read that is truly appealing to all ages and sexes. It fully deserves its Newbery award!! :)

Somehow I missed reading this book as a child and recently read it on the recommendation of a friend. From page one this book grabbed me and pulled me in. I was so intrigued by the beautiful writing and almost tangible descriptions that I felt like I was standing beside Meg as the story unfolded. I felt Meg's fear. Her overwhelming love for her youngest brother and her entire family. Her innocence. Her strength. In fact, I was blown away by the plethora of emotions I felt. This book has become one of my all-time favorites. I highly recommend this timeless classic!

My eight-year old read the book and said it's good - liked Mrs. Whatsit the most. I read the book too. Compared to the other children's books I'm reading with my children, this one is certainly a bit more on the boring side for me.

What's good: the plot is still interesting, although the structure is a bit loose and there was too much repetitive tone for my taste. The lesson of love is a good one.

What's not: the classic stereotype of the 60s of what the other cultures/worlds are like slightly disturbs me. To the innocent children of today's age, they may not truly appreciate what the author meant to convey. Doesn't matter, really, since I believe today's literature for children is much fuller.

Overall, this is an OK book for kids to read for their imagination. However, I think it would be OK if they skip it. I'm not really sure if the book deserves the "classic" status it holds. Not all rejections from publishers are wrong.

This book got me into reading scifi and fantasy. It's a wonderful classic story; in some ways it may seem a little dated, but it's one of those books I re-read every so often like Lord of the Rings. I guess you could say it's one of my "comfort books", and I can't say that about many titles. Parents are totally safe getting it for their kids who are old enough to understand it (I think I was 8 when I first read it), as I can't imagine any of the content being considered objectionable in this day and age.

Great book, exactly what I wanted. Shipped a little later than I'd expected but was in as-new condition. Thanks!

I bought this book because it is referenced on "Lost". It is a wonderful, quick read. More of a children's book than for adults.

My daughter says ...
I loved this book. It was really really good. It may be the best book I have ever read.

The story of a girl, her younger brother and another boy, who get whisked across space and time in order to battle Evil, which has the name IT, and the shape of a big, pulsating brain. This IT, also called the Dark Thing, is striving to create a communist-type society where everyone conforms, down to the little children who bounce their balls in uniform rhythms and who live in cutter-box houses.
The book was written in the early 60s and it shows: it reads like thinly-veiled propaganda against the Reds, who are trying to take over and make everyone look and think the same. And who fights the Thing? A girl, proud of her individuality, whose love and the Declaration of Independence assist her in defeating the big, pulsating (the pulses are red) brain called IT. It's the Declaration that sustains her initially, when she is about to be brainwashed (Korean war, anyone?), when the brain is whispering that peace comes from being like everyone else. Equal is not the same as like, she interjects (Jefferson to the rescue -take that you zombie commies!). In the end, though, she needs more than the Declaration of Independence to rescue her smart brother from being zombified - she needs God, and love.
Oh, brother! I mean, count me in when it comes to fighting Commies. I grew up in a commie society, and I know it was evil. But this is just ridiculous. The story takes about 100 pages of tedious, banal dialogue, to get to the point where you are told that this is a battle against Evil, and all you need is love. But everything is so oversimplified, so sketchy - everything is reduced to BIG words, like IT, and evil. It's a caricature of evil, done perhaps in the belief that kids won't get it otherwise. There's not much in terms of a plot, the characters are undeveloped, the worlds described are paper-thin, and it shows no historical understanding, no outside knowledge. Do your kids a favour and don't buy it.

This book has become one of my all time favorites. Though it is geared toward a younger audience, I find its whimsical nature and suspenseful writing enjoyable for all age groups. Definitely a classic!

This was a book I'd always heard so much about--even my cousin recently read it. I knew it was a children's classic and had religious overtones. Wow! It sure does! I can't imagine any public school having it in their program today, as it was in days past I'm sure. Sad. The Black Thing, tesseracts, Uriel, Mrs. Whatsit, all very interesting. Toward the end, when Meg wonders, "What do I have that IT doesn't have?" I kept thinking Goodness. The opposite of evil, naturally. Well, the final answer was Love. Close enough. Same thing actually.

Don't buy this book unless you want it as a historical reference reflecting the mores and beliefs of many years ago. It is no longer appropriate.

The story had potential but it's mandate to include religious messages as often as possible and it's use of incorrect scientific facts (based on what we believe is true today) makes it confusing and often boring for most children and adults.

This is an OLD, OLD book and some of the serious problems it has are because we read it in the here and now but it refers to information that was thought to be true in the long ago past.

My biggest problem is it infers that all bad or evil is female. I state this because anytime something Evil or Bad happens, it is identified and referred to as "she" or "her". Love & God are always "he". Looks sexist to me!

I guess the popularity of this book is a direct reflection of someone's need to constantly cram religion down their children's throats. If the need is so great, why don't they write a better book or at least demand this one be edited to correct the science errors and eliminate the sexist stuff.

One effect of the phenomenon that was Harry Potter was the proliferation of Potter knock-off books. It makes perfect sense: readers (especially young readers) want similar fare and publishers are out to make money. Of course, most of these imitations will be pale shadows of the original work, but there is an alternative: earlier, original works by other authors, some of which has been around for decades. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman offer material that can appeal to the Potter-loving crowd without just being merely imitation Potter. Likewise, Madeleine L'Engle provides some fun fare with her books. Her most famous work is A Wrinkle in Time.

Wrinkle is the adventures of Meg Murry, a tweener girl whose life is about to get very complicated. The story opens with the familiar dark and stormy night, but things get weird pretty quickly. Meg's father has been missing for a year, and no one seems to know where he has gone, although his work in exotic physics may offer a clue. As the winds howl, Meg and her brilliant younger brother Charles Wallace enjoy a late night snack when an unexpected guest appears: their new, eccentric neighbor Mrs. Whatsit.

Mrs. Whatsit shares a supposedly abandoned house with Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, and all three women are more than they seem; in fact, they may not even be human. They do, however, have a clue as to where Meg's father is. Using a space-spanning device called a tesseract, they will bring Meg, Charles Wallace and a neighborhood kid Calvin (who is a couple years older than Meg) to the world Camazotz.

Camazotz is not a pleasant place, a somewhat Orwellian dictatorship where free thought is completely squashed. Non-conformists are either disposed of or effectively brainwashed into complacency. Meg's father is on Camazotz, but it will require all the special talents of the three kids to possibly overcome IT which rules this grim planet.

Although there are fantasy elements to A Wrinkle in Time, this novel is probably better categorized as science fiction. Like the Harry Potter books, this book is aimed at younger readers but can be enjoyed by adults as well, though I feel that Rowling offers more than L'Engle in terms of plot and characterization. Even so, A Wrinkle in Time is a good read, a bit of a mind bender with a nice sense of suspense. If you (or your kids) have finished Harry Potter, Wrinkle is both similar enough and different enough to be appealing.

This author is strangely amazing. I have loved everything that I have read by her so far. This is a book that was read to me as a child and I have now finally come back to it. You will be amazed and confused and baffled, but wonderfully surprised at how she uses seemingly childish ideas to explain the quite complex.

Although neither the prose nor the plot seemed exceptional,
"A Wrinkle in Time" brings forth many interesting ideas and themes to ponder, with the overarching theme including the tension that exists
between the individual and society; between respecting the uniqueness of each human, and the need to homogenize society in order to eliminate some undesirable aspects of living that often arise due to the variation found in humanity.

The book centers around the Murry family who can be described as "eccentric" (as my daughter puts it). The mother has two Ph.D.'s (biology and bacteriology), the father is a physicist who is away
working on a secret project for the government, and has not returned in some years which has brought a dark, solemn cloud over the household. But the story mostly revolves around two of the Murry children, Meg and Charles Wallace. Meg is considered not very bright and viewed by her school principle as being the most "uncooperative and belligerent" student in school (I received the impression that much of her problems are rooted by missing her father). Charles also seems misunderstood by
most people, yet we are led to understand his unieque, pure honesty and insightfulness.

May be most the important point the author makes is of the importance of individuality and tolerance of people and beings who seem different. In fact, the adversary of the book can be summed up as representing total social conformity towards a centralized controller in which individuality is attracted to IT like light towards a black hole. Such a theme seems even more relevant today than over forty years ago when the book was first written.

But may be an even more important idea brought forth by the author is the power of Love. Interestingly, Love is the force that supports both conflicting forces. For individuality, Love increases it by offerering variation in offspring, while also being at the root of inspiration for great artists, scientists, and engineers who create new ideas and inventions that help transform both individual and society. For society, there is not only love for humanity that spawns social institutions aimed to help humanity progress, but also there is love for family that inspires someone to forgo his individuality and fit into society as a working functional componenet for the sake of providing loved ones with the materials needed to sustain a dignified existence.

I thought the author presented these ideas in a very tasteful if not subtle manner. I especially enjoyed the science fiction aspect of traveling through space and time. In the edition I read (0-440-49805-8) a very good aricle by Lisa Sonne on the science behind the sci-fi fantasy of the book followed the story. Any book that helps one gain perspective on his or her place in the universe is worth reading for that reason alone.

My 4th gr teacher read this book to our class nearly 40 years ago. The message in it is even more important today as we fight the continual govt inroads into our life to steal our freedoms. For one, those who own even one livestock animal will have to register their premises, microchip and file reports on all births, deaths and off property movements of those animals under a USDA program called NAIS. Just so big ag can sell their meat globally. See [...] for more info on how this program will affect all those who eat.

This book was the one that got me started reading. I absolutely loved it. The creativity is magnificient. It is what developed my love for reading. There will always be a special place for this book in my heart.

As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with "A Wrinkle in Time". Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. Give this book a try.
The fiction book that I have written main story theme is about ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ. Yes it has cloning in it.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

A Wrinkle in time is a children's science fantasy about teleportation, time travel, coming of age, yearning for a missing parent and such other themes. It was published in 1962 after 26 rejections and went on to win several awards including the Newbery Medal and the Hans Christian Anderson Award. It begins with the widely used phrase "It was a dark and stormy night," originally used by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, as the beginning of his 1830 novel 'Paul Clifford'.

Reading childrens' books through adult eyes you tend to pick up on some interesting things. Meg Murry, a teenage girl, her younger brother and a friend, go searching for her lost father. They are aided by three odd-looking witch-like women who imply that their quest is important for the future of the world. They are transported to various worlds before confronting their nemesis. The story is a classic good vs. evil struggle. How these terms are defined says a lot about the writer. Here good is love - of family and friends, primarily. Evil turns out to be a godless communist-style dystopia, which perhaps is not unexpected given the time of writing during the Cold War. The dark force ("black thing") gradually spreading through the universe is only called 'It'. With due apologies to Stephen King (who wrote a thick book with that name) this is a bit of a cop out, but amazingly, the personification of 'It' turns out to be a giant brain!

Eventually there follows a polemic about how some things are not for us to understand, that the things that are seen are temporal, while what is not seen is eternal and finally the hoary old chestnut about scientists dabbling in things they do not understand. This ploy is always used to good advantage, for example by none better than Michael Crichton, in reference to the latest technology. Here however, it seems out of place since as far as we can tell, scientists have not actually done anything to disturb the natural order of things. 'It' is a malign force quite unrelated to human actions.

Eventually, the protagonist Meg is re-united with her father and brother and the book ends abruptly, paving the way for sequels. This book does lie outside the genre of science fiction and even of contemporary fantasy. It may be best to regard it as a modern childrens' fairy tale. A rationalist will be puzzled by some of its underlying themes.

After reading all the previous reviews it appears this book is wonderful and not only for children. Someone very close to me has HATED reading since early childhood as she always felt others read SO Much better due to their seemingly vast comprehension of the books read and their dramatic ability to read every one. These abilities have escaped her for some reason even with professional assistance. Hearing the material sinks in but this audio book has received unflattering reviews. Maybe, this book, as it has done for others, will be what makes her begin to love reading. She truly NEEDS to at least be able to tolerate reading, as she has fallen behind others in every way out in the workplace. Any suggestions as to how to get her to read this book and give it a chance? Once begun, most people find it hard to put down. For her, it would be a miracle. However, she's never too old to change.

First off, I should explain that my four star rating is directed at this edition, not the novel itself. A Wrinkle in Time is one of the great books of the 20th century, a thoughtful blend of science and fantasy, philosophical and ethical musings, unforgettable characters and a cracking good story. Meg Murry was the first character I ever came across, back in fifth grade, with whom I really could identify. As an adult, I still appreciate these characters and their history, which now spans eight novels plus the occasional mention in the Austin books.

Although I generally cite A Wrinkle in Time as my favorite book, this new edition is slightly disappointing. The new material for it is fun and somewhat informative, but there isn't very much of it. Worse, the edition is marred with numerous typos. I'm glad that someone took the trouble to honor L'Engle (who died shortly after these were issued) with new editions and new artwork for her Time Quartet novels, but I wish the result were better executed. If you plan to read this great book repeatedly, I recommend the Farrar, Straus & Giroux hardcover edition
A Wrinkle in Time instead. The various Dell editions are also good if you want a paperback. Sorry, Square Fish.

I first read this book in 6th grade and loved it. There is action, adventure, time travel, the classic fight between good and evil, imaginative beasts on far-away planets, and well developed characters. It was difficult to grasp the full meaning of it at the time though, and I made a mental note to read it again when I was older.

I finally read it again yesterday; it only took a couple hours. I loved it even more this go-around. The emotions are described in such a way that they are raw and almost palpable. L'Engle does an excellent job of drawing the reader in and making fantasy worlds seem real. It is a beautiful story about love and hate, family, faith, and surprisingly, a lot of physics. The physics is what tripped me up as a child; I spent most of my time trying to wrap my head around the fact that people could walk through walls by rearranging atoms. It is much easier to follow as an adult (who has had many physics classes) but I would still recommend it for kids.

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars was that I feel that the ending is rushed and quite anticlimactic. It seemed like the last 10 pages were very forced and the author just wanted to finish the book. I won't give away the juicy details, but read it and see what you think. Despite this, however, I think that this is a book that anyone can read, and one that everyone should read at least once.

You have to wonder about a book that starts, "It was a dark and stormy night." Having said that, don't judge this book by the Disney movie. This is a very good book, just not great.

The story blends science fiction, fantasy, humor and Christian allegory well as it tells the tale of a young girl, Meg, and her search for her father. With her younger brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin O'Keefe they are swept across space and time in a fight against the Dark and IT.

Unlike most science fiction, A Wrinkle in Time treats Christian themes with respect. While Madeleine L'Engle was a practicing Episcopalian and her faith is part of this story, the book is more spiritual than Christian. I can infer what the Dark is, but we are never told. Further, we never understand what the relationship is between the Dark and IT. The characters of the story never come to any real understanding of the forces they are battling or are allied with.

Recommendation: As young adult literature this is a superior story, but it is not great Christian literature. Read it, and then move on to the The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set.
Kyle Pratt

This was a great book involving a lot of scriptural coorelation. It is a great book, which uplifts and encourages through a unique and timeless storyline.

I finally know where that famous line comes from! I can't believe that I never read this book until now (I'm in my 30's). What a great book!

Meg Murray, her brother Charles Wallace and a friend Calvin are visited by some rather strange visitors one day and end up going to other universes to save Meg's missing father. They end up getting in a little over their heads, though, and some great adventures occur. Meg, who has always been the "moron" at school and has always wanted to be just like everyone else, finally sees that her differences actually pay off. It's a cute, magical story that children and adults will love.

I've recommended this to my husband already.

It's a perfect mixture of fantasy and sci-fi. There's always something happening that will make you want to read more.The main characters are Meg and Charles Wallace. They're very interesting especially Charles Wallace. Charles Wallace is extremely smart and can tell how you're feeling. Brace yourself as Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin go aganst the great and power ful "IT".

This was absolutely my favorite book as a child in 5th grade! It still resonates with me, as well as capturing a new generation of fans. The vocabulary and concepts of this book may be difficult for fourth-graders or those students who struggle with reading. In those cases, it would be well worth a parent spending time reading this novel to the child and helping with comprehension. For gifted readers or upper elementary students, this book offers excellent vocabulary and characterization, as well as providing several valuable moral lessons (but not in a preachy way). In many ways, it reminds me of A Lion, a Witch and a Wardrobe. A Wrinkle in Time is rich in detail and vibrant with memorable images. Overall, I feel the quality of this book is so much better than what one finds in children's literature today. Highly recommended!

This is a wonderful book by Madeleine L'Engle that any child will cherish. It is beautifully written; a true classic for kids. I loved it and I can't wait to give it to my daughter to read.

This is the first book in a series of 5 books. I read this as a child and have just read it again along with the rest of the set.
I highly recommend the entire set of 5 books to readers of all ages!!!

This book is applauded as a great kid's book, but it is a clear plagiarism of Have Spacesuit Will Travel, by Robert A. Heinlein, written ten years before Wrinkle. Some of the scenes are nearly word for word from his book. The 'theories' of space are ALL Heinlein. How this woman managed to publish this book without a lawsuit is a mystery to me. For those whom have an interest in this book, shelf it and read Heinlein. It's the better read.

L'Engle has crafted a wonderful book, which is no great insight considering its continuing popularity. I read this at age 51 for the first time after my 8-year old told me it was great.

Having young children makes it easier, I think, to get into a book such as this. L'Engle has done a fine job of fleshing out the main protagonist so the young reader can empathize and understand her motivation.

The story is science fiction/fantasy on the surface, but it's a classic story about standing up to evil, doing your duty, and having faith that love will triumph. Added to the main story are bits about being different, fitting in, relationship with parents and siblings, and other 'every day' issues that are important to a kid.

Highly recommended. Now my son's starting the sequel - we'll see how well it holds up.

My granddaughter received this book from me as a gift.
She is 14 years old; very good reader. She said the book
was excellent; and the author is very good, and famous.
My Granddaughter was pleased to read this author's
work, "A Wrinkle in Time". Wonderful story, and a good
old-fashioned good morals.
She highly recommends it - and so do I.
She said it was very descriptive; but easy reading; and she could not
put the book down.....

I read this book when I was a kid. Actually it was the first book I ever read. This story ranks right up there with 'Wizard of OZ' and 'It's A Wonderful Life'.

I read it every few years and it still impresses me.

I should have read A Wrinkle in Time as a child- it's ostensibly written for children, and it's a classic, and lots of people recommended it to me. But there were two things that kept me from reading it. The first was that it is science fiction and I have always had a strong bias against reading science fiction. Cause, you know, I'm a literary snob. And secondly, it was my mother who recommended it to me, and who reads what their mother tells them to read?

My loss.

It's a great book, a sweet book, a satisfying read and a book that deserves to be the classic that it is. What surprised me the most was that although it's a children's/young adult book, it's not written like it's written for kids- the prose isn't dumbed down or noticeably simplified, the way that, you know, certain wizardy-trendy books are. Actually I can't talk authoritatively on wizardy books because I only read the first few chapters of the first wizardy book before I got bored and threw it down. But I digress.

The story centers on young Meg, her baby brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin, searching for Meg's and Charles Wallace's father, a scientist who has disappeared. Their search takes them to faraway planets and puts them in the middle of an interplanetary battle between good and evil. The battle continues through the next three volumes of L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time Quartet series.

I loved A Wrinkle in Time. I thought it was charming, sweet, suspenseful and thoroughly enjoyable. The writing is excellent; maybe a touch on the light side for an adult but really, really well-written. And the point is that it never sounds like it was written to be an easy read. It's also one of the top 100 most-challenged books of the 1990s, due to witchcraft content (always sure to irk certain types of "readers") and because of L'Engle's rather liberal Christianity as expressed in this book by listing Jesus alongside important secular artists and thinkers. A couple of other things caught my attention that might also have made the book vulnerable to challenges- one, the portrayal of a society that mandates conformity in order to make the point that individualism is a positive, and secondly, that Meg, the main character, loses faith in her parent and ceases (at least temporarily) to accept him as an authority figure. We can't have children thinking their parents aren't all-powerful, now can we?

A Wrinkle in Time is a wonderful book. A classic forever.

A Wrinkle in Time is a book about three children, Calvin, Charles Wallace, and Meg, on their journey to unknown planets in search of Meg and Charles' father, Mr. Murry, who strangely dissapeared on one of his "missions". The children, along with Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.Who, and Mrs. Which, travel into places that are purely imagination to readers. The adventure takes them to many places, where they come in contact with several other "creatures" and IT.
All is well until tradgedy strikes, and one of the children is, let's just say... not himself.
As I have probably said too much already, I won't give you any more description of this book, but I can tell you that it is one of the best books I have ever read, and I truly hope that others will enjoy it just as much as me.

When Madeleine L'Engle croaked recently, her death received a fair bit of media attention...and her one work always mentioned was A Wrinkle in Time.

I decided to read it at age 29, and I cannot see why this book is considered a "landmark." The plot is herky-jerky and overly-contrived, and some of the dialogue is atrocious. The story-idea itself is good, but the ungainliness of the execution is too intrusive.

Even at my advanced age, I still appreciate children's literature such as The Hobbit, Charlotte's Web, et al., so I don't think an adult perspective is what's driving my dislike. I think the book simply isn't that good.

This is my favorite book of all time. I remember reading it and being captured by the words that start this wonderful story of unconditional love and acceptance..."It was a dark and stormy night." I read it with my children...and hope to read it with their children too. Finding a female heroine in the 60's wasn't easy..if you wanted one that had some substance and some heart. Meg is a real heroine...and Charles Wallace is not only her baby brother but her savior...in their quest for finding their place in the world.

I read this book as a child and have re-read it as an adult, it is one of the books that launched my love for reading. Thank you Ms. L'Engle for the great story and adventure. Rest in Peace.

Madeleine L'Engle died Thursday. I always recommend Wrinkle in Time to fans of Harry Potter. Most of them find her books to be as good if not better.

A book for children, but not too bad for that. A bored girl, her brothers and others get mixed up in an adventure across the space-time continuum by way of some nifty tesseract tricks.



When a strange older woman comes visiting they set off to find the father of all these children, who is a prisoner of one of your standard supervillains, a giant disembodied telepathic brain.

A book for children, but not too bad for that. A bored girl, her brothers and others get mixed up in an adventure across the space-time continuum by way of some nifty tesseract tricks.

When a strange older woman comes visiting they set off to find the father of all these children, who is a prisoner of one of your standard supervillains, a giant disembodied telepathic brain.

I've had a beautiful edition of this book sitting on my book shelf for the longest time, continuing to call out to read me, and I finally pulled it down and did, to find a sweet magical tale cloaked around religious allegory. It wasn't until I was three quarters of the way through that I remembered first seeing it as a child in our church's library, nestled next to the C.S. Lewis Narnia books, and now I know why. That's not to say it pounds you over the head with anything. Quite the contrary, aside form a few vague references to God it plays as a simple magic story of a young girl who's Father has disappeared, and she and her brother and friend go to rescue him after being visited by three spectral old ladies. The book has a dated quality to it, feeling very representative of the psychadelic 60s especially in it's vivid desciptions of the other worlds they travel to, however that only adds to it's charms as a classic of children's literature. And whatever you glean form the story, religious or otherwise, its a sweet tale for children and adults alike.

An excellent read. It is appropriate for the whole family.Exciting though bewildering at times, it reveals the author's keen imagination for detail and flair. She brought her characters and places to life with a skillful maneuver achieved by few writers.I thoroughly enjoyed this book.


Another great read is Everyday Miracles.
Everyday Miracles: Stories That Touch Your Heart

My 9 year old daughter enjoyed this as much today as I did 30 years ago. A timeless classic, adventure, freindship, and enough novelty (concept of 4th dimension and time travel presented in an understandable way) to make a child think.