a wrinkle in time
wow, have you read this book? it’s supposed to be a children’s novel but it was written in such an advanced way and contained some very complex elements. if you read it when you were little, i suggest reading it again because you’ll probably get something completely different out of it. first of all, i’d like to bow in appreciation for all the physics this story incorporated. the plot is based on the fact that space-time can be “wrinkled” to travel from one place to another instantaneously. there’s even illustrated diagrams 🙂 stuff like this never ceases to amaze and excite me which is probably why i got my degree in physics and astronomy.
meg and the other characters use this means of transportation (called a tesseract) to try rescuing her missing father. meg’s father has been lost to “the black thing” which the characters must venture into. meg’s reaction to the black thing is chilling:
what could there be about a shadow that was so terrible that she knew that there had never been before or ever would be again, anything that would chill her with a fear that was beyond shuddering, beyond crying or screaming, beyond the possibility of comfort?
“IT” is the being who manipulates minds in order to spread the blackness. there are some very compelling scenes in this story that don’t fall short of ripping your emotions apart. from witnessing meg’s mother’s breaking heart to realizing that wonderful calvin is loved by no one to meg pouring out her love to save her brother. the premise of the story is simple: a misfit realizes she would endure all the pain and misery of the world in order to enjoy all the love and happiness it can bring. but the book is written so expertly that i was happy to go along with it.
this isn’t just an emotional rollercoaster though! when the characters arrive in a world controlled by IT, i found myself on the edge of my seat. the descriptions of all the children bouncing their balls in sync and all events happening at the allotted time made my skin prickle. it’s a small book so read it. you’ll be glad you did.
movie notes: what?! i just went to imdb and saw that there is, in fact, a movie. how did i not know this? i’m going to tvshack.net to see if i can find it. it looks pretty cheesy though.
the bookend. 
This was my mom’s favourite book when she was younger, so when I was little she bribed me into reading it. You know, one of those “if you don’t like it I’ll buy you something nice” kind of bribes. Well, I never got that something nice because, of course, I loved it. I read a second time when I was in my late teens, but I really need to read it again.
And what’s this about a movie?? If you watch it, let me know if it’s worth checking out.
September 8, 2009 at 1:14 am
Yes… there is a movie. It was actually filmed nearby — which may be the only reason I’ve heard of it. It was pretty darn cheesy, and not nearly as cool as I remember the book being.
Apparently, L’Engle wasn’t too impressed with the movie, either.
September 8, 2009 at 2:33 pm
ok now i know i must read this book again. you cant keep doing this to me, i have so much on my plate already. oh well.
September 10, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Hey Sarah,
I reread the whole series about a year ago. They’re so awesome.
September 13, 2009 at 8:26 pm
If you liked A Wrinkle in Time, check out Shelf Discovery–there’s a whole chapter devoted to it. Lizzie Skurnick, the author, is being interviewed tomorrow by Nancy Pearl.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LibraryLoveFest/2009/09/23/Nancy-Pearl-and-Lizzie-Skurnick-talk-to-LibraryLovefest
September 22, 2009 at 4:26 pm
how awesome! thanks so much for the recommendation.
September 22, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I read that years ago, i think i was in High school and I remember it being intense. Did you get a lot of religious allusions from it?
March 28, 2010 at 1:10 am
oh yes, there was definitely a religious thread i found running through it. i find that a lot in stories that incorporate science. i don’t know if you’ve read “his dark materials” (the golden compass and so on) but it is very interesting as far as how religion is portrayed.
March 28, 2010 at 5:04 pm