A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Plot:

Meg and her brother Charles Wallace's father has been missing for over a year. He was working on a top-secret time travel experiment with the government and hasn't been heard from in a year. Charles Wallace, the prescient four year old of the family, is an old soul to say the least. He, his sister Meg, and a boy named Calvin are about to take the trip of a lifetime: through time and space. Charles Wallace befriends some odd neighbors that appear anything but human, and before they know it all three of them are traveling through space via a tesseract (a wrinkle in time that allows quick space/time travel). All three of them end up on a different planet all together, and the neighbors turn out to be creatures from a different place altogether trying to save the children's' father. Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin must battle 'The Dark Thing' on a distant planet alone in order to save their father. But what happens when The Dark Thing gets Charles Wallace, and Meg is the only one who can save him?

Review:

Somehow I made it through middle school without actually reading this book. To be honest, I was put off by the cover and the concept of time travel. Reading it now, I really enjoyed the book. I wish I could book talk it to my 11 year old self, and assure her that it is quite enjoyable despite being a science fiction book. For those who don't enjoy science-fiction, there are plenty of other plot lines and themes to keep you interested. Tessering aside, the budding interest between Meg and Calvin, the loss of one's father, and the love between siblings are powerful stories in the book that rise above the time travel and physics. And for those that enjoy science-fiction... get started! I highly recommend it, and now plan to read the accompanying books.

Reading Level:

10 and up

Similar Titles:
The Phantom Tollbooth
When You Reach Me
Bridge to Terabithia 

Series Information:

The Time Quintet:
Many Waters
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
An Acceptable Time


Character Descriptions:

Meg: Charles Wallace's sister, oldest child, unpopular in school, at an awkward age

Charles Wallace: Youngest sibling, precocious and other-worldly

Calvin: Meg's classmate, seemingly popular yet other-worldly like Charles Wallace

Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit: These 'ladies' help the children, are later described in the book as Angels