Ms. L’Engle, we hardly knew ye. Famed author of the TIME series, the first books purchased specifically for me and the reason I became an avid reader. With an introduction like this, how can a 9 year old not be intrigued:
A Wrinkle in Time
Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. She claims to have been blown off course, and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a “tesseract,” which, if you didn’t know, is a wrinkle in time.
Meg’s father had been experimenting with time-travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?
This book as well as others in the series and their counterparts written by L’Engle are relevant even in the high-tech world we live in today. I highly recommend these works for good readers aged 7-10 and average readers 10+. Some of my favorite words come out of this series. They give education, social consciousness, modern medicine, and class barriers a run for their money. Holidays coming up? Think of your neices, nephews, and babysitters. Give them these books or a Barnes and Noble or Borders gift card. Can’t hurt. And thanks, Madeleine, for all you’ve given me.