A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Sep 20, 2007 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: awardwinners, favorites, childrensbooks, classicsworthreading

Meg Murray travels through folded time and space to save her father from imprisonment on the planet of Camazotz, where conformity is enforced by a horrific thing called IT.

Think for yourself. Love one another. Take risks. Fight conformity. This is a very edgy book - no wonder Madeleine L'Engle had so much trouble finding a publisher for it back in the 60s.

As relevant today as when it was first published, this book challenges readers to fight the status quo. It is number 22 on the list of most ch ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Hope Decker rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, classic, sci-fi, junior-fiction

As a kid, I always had my nose in a book, but somehow, I missed this childhood classic that so many of my contemporaries say turned them into readers. Reading this as an adult, I'm becoming convinced that my tastes as a reader developed around age 8. I've given it 3 stars because I liked it, but the missing stars are not for any lack in the book, but because it is just not my cup of tea.

As a kid, unless I was forced to in school, I read the books that I wanted to read because I really loved the As a kid, I always had my nose in a book, but somehow, I missed this childhood classic that so many of my contemporaries say turned them into readers. Reading this as an adult, I'm becoming convinced that my tastes as a reader developed around age 8. I've given it 3 stars because I liked it, but the missing stars are not for any lack in the book, but because it is just not my cup of tea.

As a kid, unless I was forced to in school, I read the books that I wanted to read because I really loved them. I'm only now realizing that my reading tastes were already becoming defined, and I would never have imagined that they would stick with me into adulthood. Beverly Cleary, Louis Sachar, Paula Danziger, and Gary Paulsen were my mainstays. I loved a book about family, friendship and growing up. While A Wrinkle in Time has these three elements, and is by all accounts a great book, it doesn't ring my bell.

The interview with Madeleine L'Engle at the end of the Squarefish edition talks about L'Engle's influences and inspiration for writing the Time Quintet. One of the things that influenced her was learning about Einstein's Theory of Relativity. A Wrinkle in Time explores the 5th dimension, where time travel is possible. I think it's brilliant how L'Engle wove this scientific principle into a magical story with well-rounded believable characters such as Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin. Where the book broke down for me is that because I can't clearly conceive of the 5th dimension, I feel like I can't fully enjoy the story.

The fantasy elements, however, were right up my ally. I LOVED Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit. Their shimmery existence was completely enchanting, and they were simply magical. It seems very backward and totally un-modern for me to admit that I can accept magic more easily than I can accept the scientific aspect of this book, but I do see a thread of logic here. One does not need to understand magic, one just accepts it. Science, however, begs understanding. I won't reject science, of course, but I am glad that I don't need to fully understand the rules of time travel!

Oh, I must mention, the clarity of the character's voices was amazing. What a fun book to read aloud, as the dialog tells you a lot about the characters. Madeleine L'Engle was a writer with a gift.

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Feb 14, 2008 Katie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: j-fiction

I never read this as a child (gasp!),I tried so many times to start it, but I think it takes a love of SciFi and a certain level of maturity. I preferred the Austins.

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