A Wrinkle in Time Review

Manufacturer: Square Fish
Author(s): Madeleine L'engle

ISBN: 0312367546 EAN: 9780312367541
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

User Submitted A Wrinkle in Time Reviews

January 4, 2009
Fascinating story; ahead of it's time
Wildly fantastic book that was definitely ahead of it's time. The existence of a two-dimensional planet? Like Paper Mario? Wonderful! And that's just one of the fascinating concepts within this book.

A Wrinkle appeals to readers of all ages. I first read it as a child, shortly after it's publication, and found it wonderfully different than any other book I'd read. It's the kind of book readers think about long after they've finished it and put it away, and while the battle against dark forces is clear, the bookmight mean different things to different readers. When I read it later as a teen, I suddenly "got" some of the elements of the book that I'd missed before, and that was again true when I read the book as an adult.

Even if some of the concepts are a bit far-fetched, younger readers will still enjoy this book because the story is so fascinating and well-written. Also, the main characters are children so there is that appeal as well. It's deep - there's a lot to ponder and think about, but the book can also be enjoyed without deeply analyzing it.

Time travel, mind control, a world beyond our own understanding - if these plot lines appeal to you, you will definitely enjoy this book. A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite childhood book memories and I'm glad it's still being enjoyed by readers today.

January 3, 2009
great series for all ages
a great family book and it is written well, though its no harry potter but a great read for all ages.

January 1, 2009
Doesn't hold up to today's standards
This classic novel for middle graders begins on "a dark and stormy night." Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace, and her mother, a scientist, are in the kitchen having a midnight snack when a strange visitor shows up at their door. Soon after, this visitor, Mrs. Whatist, takes Meg, Charles Wallace, and their schoolmate, Calvin, on a dangerous journey to save Meg and Charles Wallace's father, a scientist who has been missing for over a year.

A Wrinkle in Time has been a favorite of children for many years. Because I never read it as a child, I'm not sure if my opinion about it would be different. For example, I recently reread The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that I read multiple times when I was a child. While I observed some shortcomings in the books and was bothered by the religious undertones I never seemed to notice when I was a child, I thoroughly enjoyed rereading them as an adult and getting reacquainted with familiar characters and plots.

Maybe I would have felt the same with A Wrinkle in Time. However, after reading it for the first time as an adult, it was just okay.

I loved the characters...kind hearted Meg, the exceptionally bright Charles Wallace, down-to-earth Calvin, and the quirky Mrs. Whatist. The plot full of magic, space travel, suspense and mystery is good enough to get a child hooked on sci-fi/fantasy. The dark and frightening climax when Meg is fighting "It", the disembodied brain, will keep kids on the edge of their seats, and I think many will be eager to read the other four novels in the quintet.

What bothered me though was the lack of detail I would have liked to have seen more of. I wanted to know more about Mrs. Whatist and company and more about Aunt Beast, the furry creature that saves Meg's life. I would have liked to have seen the aftermath of Meg's defeat of "It" on Camazotz. Were the people freed? Was "It" destroyed? Granted, this may be revealed in a later novel in the series, but I did wish that there was a little more background information.

The other thing I had a hard time getting past was L'Engle's religious messaging. I admit that I'm uber-sensitive about having religious messaging in children's books that aren't advertised as religious-themed books. I feel that it alienates children of different faiths and is unnecessary in mainstream stories like this, especially when it adds nothing to the storyline. This has been a contentious issue since the book's publication, and L'Engle herself has always claimed that she talks about faith, not religion. I remain skeptical about that.

But religion aside, I do think it's a book that many children will enjoy. Because there are some frightening situations, I do not recommend it as a read aloud to younger children. I think grades 5-7 would be the appropriate age range.

December 17, 2008
Wonderful read
I read this book as a young child, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is worth reading over and over, and I would recommend it for all ages.

December 12, 2008
Deep and rich reading
To "tesser" is to travel from one place to another well beyond the speed of light. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and published in 1962 takes us through an adventure where the characters "tesser" to foreign worlds where evil lurks. In the 43 years since this tale, many stories have been published that also focus on similar worlds and themes.

This tale demonstrates the classic conflict of good versus evil, the staple of any high fantasy story. A Wrinkle in Time is one of series of books. It is the first of the series, followed by A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet and Many Waters. A Wrinkle in Time was written in a time far different than the present day, but demonstrates plot, setting and style that are similar to current tales such as "Harry Potter", "Artemis Fowl" and the "So You Want to Be a Wizard" series.

Because of this books strong imagery and it's talented use of figurative devices "A Wrinkle in Time" has been a great contribution to children's literature and it's significance can be measured by the numbers of children (and adults) that continue to read this classic today.

A vital element of "A Wrinkle in Time" is the integral setting with diverse and colorful settings where the adventures of the Murry family and many creatures unfold. In their own neighborhood they encounter three women. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who who live in a house down the street. They steal sheets "in case they need ghosts." (pg. 34) When they initially tesser, they end up in a setting that is very dark and mysterious. "The sky darkened, the gold left the light and they were surrounded by blue, blue deepening until where there had been nothing but the evening sky there was now a faint pulse of star, and then another and another and another. There were more stars then Meg had ever seen before." There was a dark shadow (evil) "and where that shadow was the stars were not visible." (pg. 68)

Another rich example of setting occurs when Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin go to Camozotz. "Below them the town was laid out in harsh angular patterns. The houses in the outskirts were all exactly alike, small square boxes painted gray. Each had a small, rectangular plot of lawn in the front, with a straight line of dull looking flowers edging the path to the door." (pg. 98) In this passage the depiction of setting also establishes the mood and alludes to what is to come. The words harsh, angular, alike, small, gray, small, straight, and dull form some opinions with their connotations. The crafting of the setting by L'engle was skillfully done and works on many levels.

Additionally, the themes in this story are plentiful, thoroughly explored and provide a deep insight to the story and the characters. As is typical of a high fantasy story, the primary theme is good versus evil. This theme is strengthened by the frequent use of figurative devices that add further emphasis. The events in the story detail the need to find Meg and Charles Wallace's father. To do this, they tesser and end up in a battle with evil who comes in the form of "darkness" and the "dark thing" that they travel through as well as the man with the red eyes at IT. The creatures encountered on the planet Ixchel are also fighting evil.

Another primary theme is that love conquers all. It was love that conquered the evil in this story. Meg's love of her brother and father conquers all. The mothering creature (Aunt Beast) on Ixchel loved Meg dearly and was instrumental in helping Meg heal from a tesser gone awry. Additionally other themes in the story include taking responsibility and accepting yourself as you are.

Meg demonstrates tremendous responsibility in the story as she matures and discovers she has so much more strength and courage than she imagined possible. She aggressively pursues her father's freedom and her brother's freedom and learns to take responsibility for her own actions. Meg was detailed as a loner and as different from others. Her brother Charles Wallace was also described as different. In the story Meg had once overheard someone say, "The two boys seem to be nice, regular children, but that unattractive girl and the baby boy certainly aren't all there." (pg 8) Through their adventures they learn that being different is not the end of the world. It's what's inside that is important.

The richest element in my opinion is the use of figurative devices that deliver a style that is unmistakable and while not blatant, provides a breadth and depth to the story on multiple levels. Some of the more obvious figurative devices employed in this story are allusion, symbols and metaphor. An obvious metaphor is the darkness portrayed and "The Dark Thing" depicting evil.

The use of "God" at two instances where evil was present created an obvious comparison. I found it interesting the reference to God and feel it may be a sign of the times. Current writers of high fantasy don't so often engage the name of God to soften the magic and mystery contained in stories. God of course clearly represents "light" at the same time that the "dark" has appeared. This element is prominent and my initial thought was that it was to sugar coat a dark and evil presence and to take away the "mystery" of the dark and unknown and to distract the reader.

The character Charles Wallace is somewhat described as non-verbal. His presence is the link between the common world and the uncommon world. The three ladies (Mrs. Who, Which and Whatsit) represent good. Mrs. Which is constantly quoting things that could be seen as a skillfully hidden use of didacticism. Quotes such as "How small is the earth to him who looks from heaven,"

This skillfully crafted story is rich with symbolism and is a fun read. It is one of those books that you can't put down and when you are done you are glad to know there are more books to follow. The setting, themes and style create a great fantasy rich in meaning and magic. A Wrinkle in Time is certainly magical, and there is no surprise that this book has faced the test of time and has indeed been able to "tesser," mystifying and satisfying readers of many ages throughout many decades!

November 10, 2008
An Entertaining Science Fiction Story with Theological Theme
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

November 5, 2008
BEST BOOK EVER
In the book, A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L'Engle surprised me. She surprised me with her clever ideas. The main character, Meg, and her genius little brother, Charles Wallace, meet Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Calvin and Mrs. Which. These people travel through time and space in a tesseract. They are trying to find Meg's father who has been gone ever since Charles Wallace was a baby. I loved the book because its suspenseful and the characters are strange and wacky. This book teaches you that bad things will not overcome you if you believe in yourself and others. I think this book is good for kids ages 9 and up because understanding the time travel is hard. I loved the book and I would not change it!!!

October 30, 2008
Tea: One please, thanks
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.
The story follows Meg and Charles Wallace (older sister, younger brother) who are in a desperate state to find their father. And unfortunate for our third character, Calvin who gets sucks into circumstances beyond him, due to his interest in Meg. The three are transported to strange world that does not welcome them to began their search, thanks to three eccentric characters, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.
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.
BTW - This is a series...which I never knew until know.

October 10, 2008
A Piece of Literature in Time
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.

October 7, 2008
One of my favorites
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.

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