Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Sourced: Purchased at a local bookstore in DC, for book club. Available from Amazon for less than $6
Meows: 5 out of 5, probably deserves 7 out 5 meows

TL;DR

An awkward girl named Meg ends up on an intergalactic, multi-universal adventure with her brother, a cutie named Calvin, and three “fairies” and/or stars (because it’s never fully determined what each Mrs. W is or isn’t). She’s on a mission to rescue her father from an evil planet and to ultimately better understand who she is as a unique person. Meg must balance good and evil, light and dark, while learning how to accept who she is and rescue her family from IT.

REMEMBER THIS

“No, Meg. Don’t hope it’s a dream. I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.”
page 29

“Again Mrs Which’s voice reverberated through the cave. “Therre willl nno llonggerr bee sso manyy pplleasanntt thinggss tto llookk att iff rressponssible ppeoplle ddo nnott ddo ssomethingg abboutt thee unnppleassanntt oness.”
page 97

From L’Engle’s Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech

“A book, too, can be a star, “explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,” a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out to the expanding universe.”
page 245

TOE BEANS VALUE

On a scale from 1 to 10 toe beans or re-read value, A Wrinkle in Time is a definitely a 10. While Wrinkle is sold in the young adult section of the bookstore, the major political undertones are anything but juvenile. I remember reading this book as a pre-teen and not fully understanding it; reading it again as an adult, I think it’s a book worthy of your permanent collection. A book for the permanent collection is one that can be read a hundred times, and every time you discover an important detail you missed the last time. Or find a new way to connect with the characters.

Even though Meg struggles to understand her differences as a child, I think most adults experience the same anguish. I connected with Meg on so many levels and I know that when I read this book again, I’ll discover even more to love. Honestly, I’m excited to read the entire series. Onward and upward–to more tessering adventures!