A Wrinkle in Time - Time Quintet Read Along

A Wrinkle in Timeby Madeleine L'Engle

Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother. Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father. In doing so they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time. (goodreads.com)

I know I read this book and wrote a report on it when I was 12 or 13, I remember making this huge bristol board poster thing that we used to have to do for book reports for summer reading. I recall being enraptured by the book and drawing a large winged, horse thing on the poster board. But yet, I didn't remember a thing from the story. When I read A Wrinkle in Time this time around, over 20 years later (ulp, I feel old) I felt like I was reading for the first time. Sure things about it felt familiar, sort of that deja vu feeling you can get. Really, though I didn't know what was going on, or what characters we would meet or even the names of Mrs. Whatsit, Whosit and Which.That surprised me.For a book that my body and soul recalls from the impact it had on feelings and senses, I'm surprised that my brain doesn't remember it. Funny how that works.One of the things that struck me this time around was how timeless the book felt. Sure it was originally written in 1962, but other than a couple of odd terms of endearment from Calvin (sport, ol boy, etc) and that Meg is really hoping for a typewriter for her birthday, this book doesn't seem like it was written almost 50 years ago. It was easy to relate to when I was 12 and it's easy to relate to now in my 30s. (And golly gee, I was seriously hoping for a typewriter for Christmas, too. But sadly I didn't get a one!)I felt like this book was supposed to have strong Christian overtones, though they didn't quite translate that way to me, and to be honest I'm pretty sure they were lost on me at the age of 12 as well. Also, I don't know how I didn't realize there was at least another book in this series, because there are unanswered questions at the end of the book. I was probably just so happy to have finished the book and that I had at least one book on my summer reading list that didn't suck (*cough*Red Badge of Courage*cough*) that I thought nothing of it. After all, this was a book that my school wanted me to read, not something I picked up for fun on my own (and I was a huge reader at that age).Very curious about the rest of the books in this series, and so I am happy that Kelly came up with this read along!Time Quintet

1. A Wrinkle in Time
2. A Wind in the Door
3. A Swiftly Tilting Planet
4. Many Waters
5. An Acceptable Time