A Wrinkle in Time. by Madeleine L'Engle.
1962. 211p. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Newbery Medal, 1963.
Intellectually precocious, yet socially awkward Meg Murry is
the oldest daughter in a family that includes her scientist mother,
Kate; her strangely perceptive 5 year old brother, Charles Wallace; her 10 year
old twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys; and her father, Dr. Alex Murry, who mysteriously
went missing several years prior while involved in a top secret government
project. Meg is an outcast at school, where she must deal with the constant
gossip about her father’s whereabouts, as well as at home where she struggles
to define herself amongst her unique family members.
When a strange turn of events precipitated by a trio of
eccentric old women sends Meg, Charles Wallace and their neighbor, Calvin, on
an intergalactic journey to find and rescue their father who they learn has
been imprisoned on another planet, Meg must begin to understand and accept her
differences and recognize her own personal agency as a young adult.
This is a sophisticated coming of age story that asks much
of young readers as it tackles significant and timeless themes of love,
individuality and good versus evil.
No comments:
Post a Comment