REVIEW: A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murray misses her father. He disappeared years before when her younger brother Charles Wallace was a baby. Meg feels a bit lost. At school she feels left out and stupid. At home she feels left out and stupid. Her older brothers are athletic and smart. Her younger brother is a genius. But she is just Meg. Where does she fit in? Out of everyone, Charles Wallace is the one person who understands her. Then one night Charles Wallace mentions his three strange friends who live in a strange house in the woods -- Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. The three strangely magical beings will lead the children on a quest to rescue their father and teach them lessons about life, the universe, and love.

When I heard they were making a new movie version of this book, I decided I needed to read it again. I loved this book when I read it as a child. It mirrored a lot of my own feelings about myself. I liked the discussions of poetry, mathematics, the universe, God....plus the strange creatures and worlds they explore. As a child some of the philosophy and insights in the story were over my head. Re-reading this as an adult, I caught more of the wisdom and lessons from this book than I did as a third grader. I never read the rest of the series when I was younger. I'm glad that I now have the entire set and can read the rest of the story.

Now that I've re-read the book I'm waiting patiently for the movie to be released on DVD. I wonder if it follows the book, or deviates substantially? There is a lot of discussion about God in A Wrinkle in Time. I'm curious to see how much might have been removed in the movie version. I'm equally as curious about the mathematics, physics and science woven into the story. I can't wait to see the movie to see how they might have changed the characters, story and ideas.....and whether the tale still retains its magic in the film version.

A Wrinkle in Time is the first of five books in the Time series featuring the Murray family. I never read the complete series, so I'm excited to finally have the rest of the books. I also want to read the Austin Family Chronicles, another series written by Madeleine L'Engle.