A Wrinkle in Time (Time, Book 1)

by Madeleine L'Engle, Peter Sis (Illustrator)

book data

46,298 ratings, 4.12 average rating, 3,792 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		42%
4		34%
3		17%
2		4%
1		1%

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published

April 1st 1973 (first published 1962) by Yearling

binding

Paperback, 211 pages

characters

Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, Calvin O'Keefe, Ms. Murry, ...more

literary awards

Newbery Medal 1963

isbn

0440498058 (isbn13: 9780440498056)

description

Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father...more

[close] Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother. Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father. In doing so they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time.

Young people who have trouble finding their place in the world will connect with the "misfit" characters in this provocative story. This is no superhero tale, nor is it science fiction, although it shares elements of both. The travelers must rely on their individual and collective strengths, delving deep into their characters to find answers.

A classic since 1962, Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is sophisticated in concept yet warm in tone, with mystery and love coursing through its pages. Meg's shattering yet ultimately freeing discovery that her father is not omnipotent provides a satisfying coming-of-age element. Readers will feel a sense of power as they travel with these three children, challenging concepts of time, space, and the power of good over evil. (Ages 9 to 12)

One stormy night a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and fantastic journey—a journey that will threaten their lives and our universe.

Meg Murray, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course, and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a "tesseract," which, if you didn't know, is a wrinkle in time.

Meg's father had been experimenting with time-travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?

[close]

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03/19/07

Sara rated it:

(review of isbn 0312367546)

the book that first inspired me to tentatively pick up my pencil and my marbled black-and-white composition notebook (remember those?) and write (in 4th grade). the influence l'engle herself and her work have had on my life cannot be understated. i met her many many years later, during college, when she was well into her 80s, but she was exactly as i pictured her-- spirited, engaging, challenging. when i (very nervously and shyly) told her that she gave me my first inspiration to write, she l...more

Like this review? yes (19 people liked it)

4 comments

11/22/07

Banzai rated it:

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: children, middle schoolers, adults

This is a short, easy read that rates a 4.4 on the Flesch-Kincaid reading index (meaning that it requires a 4th-5th grade reading level). But that's based strictly on the sentence structure, vocabulary, paragraph size, etc.

What the stats don't cover is the depth of feeling and the profound scope and meaning in this book. Madeleine L'Engle's sentences may be rather simple but her notions of good, evil, love, and devotion are taken to a cosmic level (literally). This isn't mere sci-fi ...more

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

2 comments

08/15/07

Nicolette rated it:

(review of isbn 0440998050)

bookshelves: majorinfluences

recommends it for: Children, teens, YA, readers

Madeleine L'Engle is a Christian writer, more so even than C. S. Lewis in my opinion. However, while the influence of Christian Theology (and in later books, biblical history) is woven throughly through out all the books in this series, it is not offensive to non-Christian readers. I am one of those.

To be completely honest, when my mother first read me this when I was about 7 years old, I was totally oblivious to the influence L'Engle's faith has on her writing. It wasn't until I wa...more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

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06/08/07

furies rated it:

bookshelves: absolutely-must-read, childhood-favorites, good-more-than-once, would-rec, young-adult

Read in January, 1991

"it was a dark and stormy night . . ."

and so begins one of the best stories ever with one of the most improbably wonderful first lines. i read this first in fourth grade, at the pressure of my mother, who insisted i would love it despite the fact i was in a phase of "anything not based on history or about living in the woods/island/frozen tundra alone sucks!!" so it took me a while to pick it up. then i simply couldn't put it down. i have probably read this book u...more

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05/29/07

Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0440998050)

bookshelves: read-in-2007

Read in January, 2007

"It was a dark and stormy night."

After reading on a friend’s blog that she had recently read this book, I was tempted to do a re-read myself. I was sure I had read it at some point in my childhood, and remember finding it magical and engrossing. So when I came across the book in the thrift store for 99 cents, I couldn’t resist.

Once I started reading it, though, it became clear to me that I had probably never read this book before in my life. Not one thing a...more "It was a dark and stormy night."

After reading on a friend’s blog that she had recently read this book, I was tempted to do a re-read myself. I was sure I had read it at some point in my childhood, and remember finding it magical and engrossing. So when I came across the book in the thrift store for 99 cents, I couldn’t resist.

Once I started reading it, though, it became clear to me that I had probably never read this book before in my life. Not one thing about it seemed familiar to me, except maybe for the centaur-like creatures (but that could be because the book cover features this image). Even though I would have read this more than a decade ago, I still think I would have remembered something about it (for example, I remember aspects of Maniac Magee quite clearly, and I read that ages ago). So I’m not quite sure where I got the idea that this book was fantastical and wonderful, but those were my expectations going in.

I’ll admit I was a little let down. I did keep in mind while reading that it’s a children’s book first and foremost, but I couldn’t help but feel that it was a little disheveled in places. I loved that the protagonist is female, and quite ordinary (braces, mousy brown hair, glasses), even if she was slightly annoying at times (I imagine all 14-year-olds can be annoying). Time travel is always cool, and the unfamiliar planets (especially Ixchel with its sightless, faceless creatures) were incredibly fun to imagine. The crazy Mrs Ws were very interesting, and if their stories are continued in further books in the quartet, I’d be all over that.

The story itself is great – the classic battle of good versus evil in a sci-fi / fantasy setting. The manifestation of evil as a dark cloud reminded me of The Nothing from The NeverEnding Story (loosely). The themes of individuality, love, and acceptance carried strongly throughout; even though they were almost shoved in the reader’s face, I’m ok with that since it is a children’s story.

What I didn’t like, primarily, was the character of Charles Wallace. For some reason, he really creeped me out. I understand he is supposed to be “gifted,” but his words and actions seemed far too adult for a 5-year-old. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the religious references made in several places in the story. Too many mentions of “God” turn me off. However, I am willing to admit that it was quite daring of L’Engle to mix religion with some pretty heavy pagan aspects, like witches and crystal balls.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and definitely appreciate the themes and values, I was just turned off a little as an adult reader. I also spotted the aforementioned Maniac Magee in said thrift store, but I’m hesitant to re-read that book because I’m worried it might not be the same to me now as it was when I was young.(less)

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03/21/08

Bryon rated it:

Read in April, 2005

I started reading "A Wrinkle In Time" when I was 8 or 10. I say started because I never finished it. I can't remember exactly why, but I think it kind of scared the crap out of me. Now, 15 or 17 years later, I've read it again (this time the whole thing) and there's really nothing scary at all about it. It's possible that, as a kid, I was somehow relating this book to the terribly scary Disney movie "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Again, I don't know why.

Whatev...more I started reading "A Wrinkle In Time" when I was 8 or 10. I say started because I never finished it. I can't remember exactly why, but I think it kind of scared the crap out of me. Now, 15 or 17 years later, I've read it again (this time the whole thing) and there's really nothing scary at all about it. It's possible that, as a kid, I was somehow relating this book to the terribly scary Disney movie "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Again, I don't know why.

Whatever the reason for my fears, the book is not spectacular. Maybe I can't see it now being older and not reading through the eyes of a child, but I can't understand how it won the John Newberry Medal. The witches were plastic and seemed to serve little purpose; the bad guy, a concept embodied in a shadow, had no motivation (if you want to read about true darkness for the sake of darkness/nothing for the sake of nothing, pick up Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story"); and the father, who seems to have no backbone and no sense of decency when it comes to saving his son. It has been said that the father character is an excellent tool in showing children that parents do not always have the answers, that they are, in fact, fallible and (God forbid) imperfect. But it's so much more than that. He comes across as weak, helpless, foolish, and even heartless at times. If you want to write a story where a child finds out that his/her parents aren't perfect, you don't have to make the parental figure a cold, bumbling idiot. Unless that's what you're going for. And I certainly don't think that L'Engle was. But all that aside, why would you even want to tell that story? Part of the beauty of being a child is you get to hold onto the illusion that mom and dad are Superman. Why ruin that? Granted, some kids live in terrible families, but there are better ways to write about those scenarios. This is not it.

I wanted to give this book 2 stars but decided that, because of my jaded, critical age I cannot judge too harshly. Plus, I did like the savant character of Charles Wallace. He was cute. As was the love that Meg and him shared. Calvin, on the other hand, was a complete throwaway character.

If I had kids, would I push this book on them? No. If they picked it off my bookshelf and started reading it, I wouldn't stop them. But I'm not about to recommend it to anyone young or old. Unless it's too ask that person to help me understand what the big deal is.(less)

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09/14/08

Ron rated it:

(review of isbn 0440800544)

bookshelves: fantasy, science-fiction, young

Read in November, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I loved it! It was so awful, I loved it.

"It was a dark and stormy night." Honest to goodness, that's the opening line.

Written almost fifty years ago, Wrinkle is a cliche within a cliche, but it's not entirely L'Engle's fault because (despite that century-old opening line) much of what she wrote was old and fresh.

As fantasy, it's great. As a children's book , it won the John Newbury Medal (what can I say?). But as science fiction, it stinks. That sho...more I loved it! It was so awful, I loved it.

"It was a dark and stormy night." Honest to goodness, that's the opening line.

Written almost fifty years ago, Wrinkle is a cliche within a cliche, but it's not entirely L'Engle's fault because (despite that century-old opening line) much of what she wrote was old and fresh.

As fantasy, it's great. As a children's book , it won the John Newbury Medal (what can I say?). But as science fiction, it stinks. That should not keep anyone from reading and enjoying it, but know what you're getting into. This is like C. S. Lewis's space series.

L'Engle obviously slept through high school science. Her physics is all fantasy, though her explanation of "tessering" works better for me than flying through worm holes and other faster-than-light scenarios. Her chemistry and biology are so wrong they add to the humor. The chapters on the Ixchel's sightless natives illustrate the point.

"Aunt Beast" acknowledges their sun has "rays" which cause plants to grow, but persists in thinking seeing is quaint and unnecessary. Then Meg realizes that everything is dull and gray because it doesn't need to be colorful, since the natives can't see it. I'm not making this up. (A quibble: Aunt Beast uses the word "see" for understanding, but later comments what a curious concept seeing is. If you don't understand it literally, how do you understand it a a metaphor?)

L'Engle didn't seem to understand that color, like taste and smell, is inherent in objects, whether someone sees, or tastes or smells the object. If a tree falls in the forest, sound is generated whether anyone hears it or not. (Yes, yes, flowers and fruit are specialized to aid their propagation, which supports my contention because some of the "color" of flowers is in wavelengths invisible to the human eye, but easily seen by the target insects.) I suspect that any carbon-based plant processing photons from a main-sequence yellow sun to make sugar will do so with chlorophyll, therefore will be green--whether anyone is around to recognize it or not. Iron oxide will be red. (Hence our neighboring "red" planet.) White light impacting falling water droplets produces a rainbow. Certainly different creatures may not see the colors we see, but (philosophically speaking) we don't know that we "see" the same colors each other sees.

Despite all those groaners, an absolutely smashing story, with iconic (if now stereotypical) characters. It's like watching original "Star Trek" episodes from about that same time. They're cliched, but it's not all their fault. Some of it--less in the case of Star Trek--wasn't a cliche...yet.

And the anguish Meg feels is honest and real. And the solution rings true.

By all means read and enjoy.(less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

09/16/07

Sarah rated it:

bookshelves: american-as-apple-pie, childrens, magical, newbery-medal

Read in October, 2007

I read this when I was in fifth or sixth grade and I loved it. Re-reading it as an adult, I realized there was no way my eleven-or-twelve-year-old brain could have fully appreciated this masterpiece. After all, I am no Charles Wallace. Sure, the book has fantasy elements like travel through time and space, magical beings, and other worlds, but this is so much more than a children's hero tale. This is a beautiful book about love, good over evil, being different, and what happens when we realize o...more

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03/16/08

Ryan Ford rated it:

Read in March, 2008

Wow! I forgot what a great book this is. I read the four Madeline L'Engle books when I was a kid, but it was C. S. Lewis that I read over and over again. "A Winkle in Time" is really a classic piece of children's literature though, and deserves much attention.

To all of the normal readers out there, that's all I have to say. Read it again! It will only take you about two hours or so, and it is well worth it.

To the Lost Book Club peoples:

There a...more

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06/22/07

Khalid rated it:

bookshelves: already-read

Read in May, 2005

A Wrinkle in Time is a children's fantasy novel with a significant element of science fiction; its thoughtful ideas, intriguing plot and amusing conversation style make it enjoyable to read; yet, it often borders on being overdone.

The novel tells us about Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin, and there travel in the universe in order to rescue Meg and Charles Wallace's father. Just like every rescue novel, this was not exactly easy.

The novel was generally good; however, it h...more

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04/05/08

Jill rated it:

Read in April, 2008

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 be...more 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.
(less)

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02/10/08

Eileen Dougherty rated it:

bookshelves: child-at-heart

Read in January, 2007

As a child, this book opened up new worlds to me, quite literally almost, that I had never imagined. Madeline L'Engle became a goddess who guided me through the imagination using science as a light. Not that I grew up to be a rocket scientist or anything, but this book really electrifies the mind with its possibilities and bends preconceivced thought regarding reality, devotion and love. Last year, I read it again to my son. It was a new discovery to re-read it as an adult as well as being able ...more

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11/25/07

Jennifer Barnes rated it:

Read in November, 2007

After finishing the book several days ago and thinking about it a lot since putting it down, what stands out most to me is L'Engle's bold choice in 1962 to publish a book with so many strong female characters. In that early post-50's era in America, most women stayed at home to raise their children and did not work outside the home. Mrs. Murry, however, is a brilliant scientist who ponders some of the universe's most challenging questions in what appears to be an equal partnership with her hus...more After finishing the book several days ago and thinking about it a lot since putting it down, what stands out most to me is L'Engle's bold choice in 1962 to publish a book with so many strong female characters. In that early post-50's era in America, most women stayed at home to raise their children and did not work outside the home. Mrs. Murry, however, is a brilliant scientist who ponders some of the universe's most challenging questions in what appears to be an equal partnership with her husband, such as in their joint consideration of whether tesseracts exist. She is also a loving mother who cares for her children while keeping something back for herself -- an important lesson for girls, particularly, who are frequently raised with the idea that Prince Charming will come along and sweep them away to a life of happiness if they only give themselves over completely. Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which are not necessarily female in their true
essence (hence the description of Mrs. Whatsit's transformation on Uriel into a centaur-like creature with "a head resembling a man's"), but they choose to appear as female to Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. Although their undeniable power is limited on Camazotz, they do give Meg powerful instruction and advice. L'Engle turns gender constructs on their head even further when she describes Meg's desire to have her father save the day ("Father will make it all right, Meg thought. Everything will be all right now."), and her anger and disappointment over his inability to meet those ingrained expectations. After being nurtured by the clever Aunt Beast, and given the gift of unconditional love by both Aunt Beast and Mrs. Whatsit, Meg then comes to the powerful realization that she (not her father, and not Calvin) must be the one to save Charles Wallace, and she does so using a unique combination of her head and heart: she figures out the riddle that love will be the thing that brings her brother back.
While some of the deeper themes might be difficult for elementary school age children to grasp, certainly they could understand the concepts that 1) girls can do everything boys can do, sometimes better; and 2) unconditional love, given and received freely, has unlimited power to transform even what appears to be the most hopeless situation. While many critics have discussed the clear Christian overtones of L'Engle's story and its parallels to God's unconditional love for us, I believe L'Engle took it one step further than Christian doctrine when she has Charles Wallace, Calvin and Meg identify the "others" in addition to Jesus who have provided "lights ... to see by" to the world. In this regard, Calvin specifically includes non-Christian leaders Gandhi (a Hindu) and Buddha, suggesting L'Engle's inclusion of other religious traditions in the fight against evil. I found this refreshing in the current climate of "us versus them" perpetuated by some in the Christian right, particularly in light of my own hodge-podge belief that Jesus died for all of us, but God was smart enough to know that billions of billions of us wouldn't buy the same story to get to Him, so we have other faith traditions enabling an understanding of the divine.(less)

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07/11/07

Vicki rated it:

L’Engle, Madeleine,1962. A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The children of scientists, Meg and Charles Wallace Murry are both extraordinarily intelligent and unique. Four-year-old Charles Wallace, who lets people continue to think he’s a moron because it “gives people something to feel smug about” and sees no reason to disillusion them, has the special ability of being able to communicate with others without hearing them speak. Meg, a math wiz who is frequently ge...more

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01/23/08

Lindsey Weise rated it:

bookshelves: kid-lit, sci-fi

I passed over these series as a child, although I remember wanting to know what the hype was about. I finally picked up this first book and gave it a try. I'll just come out and say it: I was almost annoyed with how bored I was reading this. I'm really confused as to why it was such a big deal! It felt like a short story! I've read a lot of children's books and none of them felt this...lackluster in regards to the content inside the story. I'm not saying I disliked the characters or the ev...more

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11/21/07

Borsi rated it:

(review of isbn 0312367546)

recommends it for: Mr. T

This book has teached me, to know that the future, can be changed. That the past is just the past that you can change it into something else. Madeline Lengle made me understand that a wrinkle in time is just a wrinkle you can make it go away.its suchn a great book because it was the book that was extremely chalenging and had the best vocabulary! Also because it made you want to know about the future and makes you reflect about it. This book is about to kids that there father and mother are scien...more

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05/29/07

Michael rated it:

bookshelves: bullshit, childrens-lit, classics, sf-fantasy-horror

Read in May, 2004

One of those overrated books the response to which defies explanation. Clunky, heavy-handed, and as obvious in its way as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I was only ever able to force myself through this as an adult (having been turned off of it by a filmstrip I saw in school), and no doubt this is the sort of novel--like the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs--that must be first loved as a younger reader. Ugh.

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03/05/08

Sarah Beth rated it:

bookshelves: childrens, fiction

Read in February, 2008

This was one of my favorite books as a kid, so I gave it to my nephew and said I would read it when he did. I still liked it a lot, but reading it along side an 8-year-old really changed how I saw the danger in it and the religious messages. There's some pretty mature stuff...

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04/17/08

Megan Pardini rated it:

Read in January, 1989

I loved this book when I was younger. Maybe because the main character's name is Meg, just like me! The story is suspenseful and exciting. A great read!

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