Anecdote time! Back when I was little, my grandma took my mother, older cousins, and I to see a new movie based on a book–A Wrinkle in Time. A beautiful film, or so I remember. Who knows, I was nine.
Either way, after that I entirely forgot about this movie for seven years or so…until, tucked away in the back corner of a thrift shop while my sisters hunted for dresses, I found a beautiful little green book.
Unfortunately, this was A Wind in the Door, the second book in the series. Intrigued and impatient, I bought the book and borrowed an audiobook of A Wrinkle in Time from the library. Every day on the way to work I would pop in a disc and soak up the rich words of a narrative so genius, so unusual, so beautiful that a mind can hardly absorb it.
And so Madeleine L’Engle drew me into a strange world of faith and joy and fighting against the darkness inside and about us all.
A Wrinkle in Time
It was a dark and stormy night.
Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure–one that will threaten their lives and our universe.
I was not prepared for the bewitching words that Madeleine L’Engle wove in a seemingly simple tale. However, despite the disarmingly straightforward prose, L’Engle’s tale is anything but simple.
A Wrinkle in Time holds all the complexity of real children fighting real darkness, the tension of a thousand questions unanswered. It’s strange but enchanting, and every time I had to turn off the audiobook, I could hardly bear to hit the button.
And not only that, but I discovered that Madeleine L’Engle is one of the classic Christian writers. Why did I not hear of The Time Quintet sooner?
Perhaps because this is such an unusual story. It is a tale intended for middle grade, but it transcends the shallow depths of the typical middle grade. I will forever be happily haunted by The Time Quintet.
Content Warnings:
There isn’t much to be warned about in this book. There’s a form of possession and a disgusting creature, but both are framed as intensely evil.
Ratings:
Appropriate content: 5/5
Story construction: 4/5
Writing skill: 5/5
Ethics: 5/5
Other Information:
Christian: Yes
Point of view: Mostly third person limited
Tense: Past tense
Romance: A little, though not overpowering
Series: Yes
Age recommendation: 6-99
A Wind in the Door
Every time a star goes out, another Echthros has won a battle.
Just before Meg Murry’s little brother, Charles Wallace, falls deathly ill, he sees dragons in the vegetable garden. The dragons turn out to be Proginoskes, a cherubim composed of wings and eyes, wind and flame. It is up to Meg and Proginoskes, along with Meg’s friend Calvin, to save Charles Wallace’s life. To do so, they must travel deep within Charles Wallace to attempt to defeat the Echthroi–those who hate–and restore brilliant harmony and joy to the rhythm of creation, the song of the universe.
The themes of love, redemption, and faith which introduced themselves in A Wrinkle in Time grew to full bloom in A Wind in the Door. Once more, the seemingly simple prose, the strange yet intriguing arrangement of words and paragraphs weave a tale far beyond imagining. Madeleine L’Engle’s tales are as lovely as they are strange, and reading them feels like sipping a mug of warm tea.
Though I have yet to finish the quintet myself, I cannot recommend it enough, especially for a family read-aloud. This is a children’s story, but it is also so much more. The Time Quintet will not only entertain children, but enrich them too, in knowledge, in faith to God, and in a love for all things beautiful.
Content Warnings:
Mentions of death and possession again.
Ratings:
Appropriate content: 5/5
Writing skill: 4/5
Story construction: 5/5
Ethics: 5/5
Other Information:
Christian: Yes
Point of view: Third person limited
Tense: Past tense
Romance: Yes, but very non-distracting and sweet
Series: Yes
Age suggestion: 6-99
Until next time, my friends!
–Astor
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