There’s a good reason this novel was a Newbery Award winner, and it’s almost obvious to say that this book and its subsequent series are not only a staple in children’s literature and fantasy literature as a whole, but should be counted among the list of classic books within the children’s and young adult genres. This is the book that defines all of L’Engle’s books to follow, interlacing the themes of the power of love, self-sacrifice, and the responsibility of the individual to help enact social change. Also, there are so many kernel’s of science mixed with fantasy, earth’s history intersecting with the histories of other worlds L’Engle has created, and Christian metaphysics that the text begs for several reads in order to explore every aspect and allusion fully.
However, the most poignant element is the social commentary on communism and the death of individual expression, especially given that its original publication was in 1963, when the Cold War was still a major threat to world peace, more than 20 years before the tension dissolved. L’Engle brilliantly communicates the inherent flaws of a society where everything becomes forcefully homogenized by a governing body or individual through the lenses of a fantasy children’s text. As such, the text has the ability to transcend its audience, and multiple layers of complexity emerge as returning readers get older and understand the historical context of the novel. I recommend this to readers 9+.
Critique
There’s a good reason this novel was a Newbery Award winner, and it’s almost obvious to say that this book and its subsequent series are not only a staple in children’s literature and fantasy literature as a whole, but should be counted among the list of classic books within the children’s and young adult genres. This is the book that defines all of L’Engle’s books to follow, interlacing the themes of the power of love, self-sacrifice, and the responsibility of the individual to help enact social change. Also, there are so many kernel’s of science mixed with fantasy, earth’s history intersecting with the histories of other worlds L’Engle has created, and Christian metaphysics that the text begs for several reads in order to explore every aspect and allusion fully.
However, the most poignant element is the social commentary on communism and the death of individual expression, especially given that its original publication was in 1963, when the Cold War was still a major threat to world peace, more than 20 years before the tension dissolved. L’Engle brilliantly communicates the inherent flaws of a society where everything becomes forcefully homogenized by a governing body or individual through the lenses of a fantasy children’s text. As such, the text has the ability to transcend its audience, and multiple layers of complexity emerge as returning readers get older and understand the historical context of the novel. I recommend this to readers 9+.
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http://www.lindseyslibrary.com/2005/08/a-wrinkle-in-time/