Throwback Thursday: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
First published in 1962 by  Farrar, Straus and Giroux

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. 

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?

I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was in junior high school.  I remember really enjoying the book.  With the upcoming release of the movie, I decided to give it a second read to refresh my memory.  The story involves Meg who is considered a problem student despite being a whiz at math.  Her father has been missing and she has held out hope he will be found alive and well.  She embarks on an adventure with her little brother and a friend to find him and bring him home.

Reading this as an adult was just as magical as reading it was a child.  I really enjoyed the book the second time around.  The characters were fun.  The atmosphere was mysterious and the writing was phenomenal.  I also noticed a few underlying themes that I'm sure I caught as a child.  Conformity, accepting your uniqueness, and parents don't always have the answers.  I've never been a fan of movie versions of books.  So far, the trailers that I've  seen have look fairly good.  Although, Reese Witherspoon isn't how I pictured Mrs. Whatsits.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Regardless, this is a wonderful story and one that should be treasured.