Review: ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ by Madeleine L’Engle

In a fit of nostalgia I decided it was time to reread A Wrinkle in Time. I often find myself rereading things during the hot months, probably because my brain doesn’t function properly in the heat, making it impossible for me to concentrate on new things.

Synopsis: Meg and her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, go on a wild adventure through time and space to find Meg’s missing father and save the Earth from an encroaching darkness. The trio are guided by three eccentric old ladies, who have been fighting The Black Thing along with other beings from all over the universe. While both Charles Wallace and Calvin are both highly intelligent for their ages, Meg wonders what makes her qualified to go on this crazy trip.

I originally read this book in Grade 7 and I really don’t think that I understood it at the time. There are a lot of big ideas in this book that definitely went over my head. I recall thinking that it was an interesting adventure, and I loved being able to turn it into a 20-30 minute play for my class (it was only supposed to be a 5 minute synopsis), but the actual mathematical principles that make this book so intriguing were totally lost on me. It probably also doesn’t help that I was (and still am) a horrible math student.

As with many middle grade novels, some of the content seemed really rushed while other parts went on longer than I expected. The language is accessible enough for its target audience though, making it a wonderful example of a children’s book that doesn’t treat the readers like a bunch of dumb kids. The main characters in this book are children who are smart, funny, caring, and mature, but who are still kids. They trust their parents know best, yet they question everything, and they often take risks because they just don’t know any better.

I have only ever read this first book in the series, so I’m excited to read the rest at some point. I really would like to know how this whole crazy story ends, and I also wonder if I will ever truly understand how a tesseract works.

LC rating:  (great book)