Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me was almost a homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME. It has been years since I read this classic and thought that it was time for a return read. It was even better reading it as an adult. So no matter your age or if it has been years since you travelled with Meg Murry, her small brother, and their friend, Calvin to rescue Mr. Murry, you might want to give it a try.
Meg, her mother, and brother, Charles Wallace first meet Mrs. Whatsit on a dark and stormy night. Charles Wallace seems to understand this unusual visitor and later that night takes Meg and Calvin to meet two other women, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Witch. The three beings explain that they are there to take the children to find Meg and Charles Wallace’s father. What follows is an exciting journey through the galaxy.
One thing that I like about a L’Engle book is that she never talks down to her readers. Mrs. Who has problems with putting her ideas into words so almost all of her conversation is made up of quotes: Shakespeare, the Bible, ancient Greek and Latin through French and several Native American tongues. Sometimes a translation is given, but it is taken for granted that the reader will pick up on the message.
I also like that L’Engle is a moral author. Her Christian values are obvious in the fight between light and dark. Mrs. Whatsit points out to a frightened Meg that God chooses the weak to do great things and that she has one thing in her that evil does not understand...love. This is an idea that also worked for Harry Potter.
A WRINKLE IN TIME has been around long enough to be considered a classic. It is a fantasy tale with some depth, full of thoughts that will stay with you long after the last page is read.
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