a wrinkle in time :: madeline l'engle

Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeline L'Engle
Publisher: Dell
Read: September 2009, NYC
Format: mass market paperback

Meg Murry is misunderstood. As she contemplates how to fit in better at school and make life more bearable, something interesting happens. She embarks on an interdimensional adventure with her remarkable 5 year old brother Charles Wallace, the handsome and popular Calvin O'Keefe and a trio of unusual old ladies. Meg is motivated to go along on the journey in the first place because she desperately wants to find (and rescue?) her long-missing father. In pursuing this end, she learns more about her parents, the universe and, of course, her own abilities.

1) A Wrinkle in Time is one of the first novels I remember reading (4th grade, Miss Mallory's class). While I remembered some of the characters' names, I remembered NONE of the plot.

2) Even though I didn't remember much of the story, I did experience weird sense-memory of reading it over 20 years ago (gasp!). Images I haven't thought about in many years rebuilt themselves around me. It was a weird sensation and topical, really, given the whole time travel theme.

3) I was caught off guard by all Christianity references. I obviously did not remember that from childhood.

4) When I last visited him, my very clever nephew - 9.5-year-old Noah, also an avid reader - and I chatted about the book (I was just about to start it). It seems sometime in the last year or so he had attempted reading it, but found it 'too complicated'. I can see that. Some of the most interesting concepts (interdimensional travel, mind control and homogeneity, etc) in this book are, in my opinion, a little too complex for it's target audience. And, stripping these out, what's left is not that memorable. This is why I didn't recall any of the plot. I'd say that this series is ideally for 5th graders and above. A year can make such a big difference in what kids are able to process. Though, I guess when 1 year amounts to more than 10% of your life to that point, it makes sense. But I digress.

An excellent, comforting, interesting story. I look forward to finally getting to the rest of the series: 4 out of 5 stars.