I am so glad I took the time to reread this classic! I can still remember the cover of the edition I had as a child, and I remembered that I absolutely adored it. But I had forgotten enough of the story to make this time around a true delight! Madeleine L'Engle has created a tale to amaze and enchant, and it was simply magical to listen to the audio, which is read by the author herself. If, by chance, you missed out on this treasure as a child, do yourself a favor and go buy a copy today and reread. Such fun! ( )

A classic of children literature, but I was not very impressed. It is well written and it does have elements of interest, but the characters and the story are rather sketchy. I never felt that I really cared.

The themes and values explored are interesting, but Michael Ende did it better with Momo and, above all, with the wonderful The Neverending Story.

All in all, this reminded me of the Narnia Chronicles. It also has those Christian elements that, to me, come across as a bit preachy and condescending.

The hard science fiction elements were intriguing, but not much is done with them, and I got the feeling that the author had done some reading but did not have a deep understanding of those concepts. ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grade 3-4
Awards/Honors: Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, Runner-up for the Hans Christan Andersen Award. ( )

I read this book when I was about 11 or so and had only the vaguest of memories of what had happened.

I like the ideas and themes and overall feel the book gives. But I feel very much like beginning of the book Meg: not sure what exactly is going on but understanding enough to get by. ( )

I didn't purchase this book, I won it...however, I would have bought it eventually. But I didn't have to, so woo-hoo for me! Now, to the review:

I enjoyed this book quite a bit! Being that it was first published about 50 years ago, I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was hooked from, "It was a dark and stormy night."

The story is centered around Meg and Charles who (along with their friend, Calvin) are looking for their father. The kids are helped by an amazing cast of characters (including Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Aunt Beast), some of whom can actually morph into other creatures. Evidently, dad has successfully traveled through time and space and is trapped somewhere far, far away by a force from which he cannot escape - a force which, it seems, can hijack your mind and alter your sense of reality. Meg is the older sister to Charles - who has special, and perhaps unnerving, gifts. "Ordinary" Meg seems to feel inferior because of this and sometimes doubts herself. These gifts Charles has may put him in danger on their quest to reclaim their father, however. Can Meg save him? Can she save them both? You will have to read it to find out because I am not going to tell you. Heheheh.

There were several allusions made to biblical texts and principles throughout the book. I have no problem with this - I read the Bible. It's the only book I read every day. I did have a little issue with the author equating Jesus with famous, dead philosophers, scientists, composers - great men, but men nonetheless. If you are a Christian (as I am), you might take issue with this as well - as if the author is suggesting that Christ was not divine. I've read that Madeleine L'Engle was a Christian, so I wonder if this was actually the intention. However, aside from this one thing, I enjoyed the book enough to give it four stars.
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