A Wrinkle in Time (Newberry Award Winner, 1963)

this is an old school classic. one of my faves from way back. a book that started my love of fantasy and creative writing.

Loved it in 5th grade.

Before books about geeky girls were everywhere, there was Meg Murry, daughter of two physicists, with her alarmingly normal younger brothers and her abnormal (genius or idiot?) youngest brother. Meg’s father has been missing, on a secret mission, for months. Meg’s mother has been trying to hide her stress from the kids but Meg picks up on it. The invasive politeness in their rural...more

Before books about geeky girls were everywhere, there was Meg Murry, daughter of two physicists, with her alarmingly normal younger brothers and her abnormal (genius or idiot?) youngest brother. Meg’s father has been missing, on a secret mission, for months. Meg’s mother has been trying to hide her stress from the kids but Meg picks up on it. The invasive politeness in their rural community makes her want to scream. Then, unexpectedly, her little brother Charles Wallace turns out to have talents his family never imagined, and the story takes off into the science fiction/fantasy realm across time and space. I read A Wrinkle in Time in middle school, and it is one of the few children’s books I have hung onto. L’Engle captures that can’t-do-anything-right, open-your-mouth-to-speak-and-out-comes-toads feeling that thinking girls experience. She also portrays love within a family in all its facets. A dollop of science, a handful of fantasy, and a dash each of religion and politics finish the mix. A Wrinkle in Time is recommended for all young people, particularly girls who are a little uncertain about their place in the world from about fifth grade up.   hide

This was one of my favorite books as a child