A Wrinkle in Time

I've been meaning to read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle for a long time. My brother and one of my sisters read it when we were young, and I remember them talking about how good it was. The three of us read a ton of Newbery Award Winners when we were in school, thanks to my awesome mom, so I think that's how they got started reading it.

The premise of the book is a quest to save the Earth and the father of the main characters. The Murry family is a bit different from other families. Mr. and Mrs. Murry are brilliant scientists, Meg is smart but somehow messes everything up that she tries to do, Dennys and Sandy are the "normal" twins, and Charles Wallace is special in a way that no one quite understands. Mr. Murry mysteriously disappears, and Meg and Charles Wallace watch as their mother begins to struggle without their father. Enter Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit, who take Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (their new best friend) on a trip to save both their father and the world as they know it.

L'Engle creates her world in such a way that it stretches what the reader already knows to be true without creating anything implausible. Suspension of disbelief is basically unnecessary, because everything the author writes makes complete sense within its modern context. At the same time, she displays her world for all to see and understand, including children (since that's the target audience). I love this book! It's such a beautiful story of individuality and self-reliance mixed with love and trust, and every chapter took me completely by surprise! I'm definitely going to remember this story for years to come.