My favorite L'Engle book ever, about the formative summer when Vicky Austin's grandfather is dying and she meets a young marine biology student who teaches her to swim with dolphins. I'm not sure any other YA author has ever come close to L'Engle's complex and intelligent story-telling with the Austin family, which is secure in its wisdom that everyday life is dramatic enough without having to invent other-worldly plot devices.

To this day, whenever I see dolphins, I think of how L'Engle describes their skin as "resilient pewter." Amazing.