A Wrinkle in Time

                                            by

                   Madeleine L’Engle

                           Newbery Medal Winner (1963)

L'Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York, NY:

Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

A friend of mine performed the role of an alien being in a dramatization of this book.  For some reason, the director and the costumers decided to make the character and her counterparts wear costumes that made them look like eight-foot-tall butternut squashes.  Suffice to say, I was not able to concentrate very well on the story, and I couldn’t seem to follow the plot; so I welcomed the opportunity to read it now in its original book form. 

A young girl named Meg enlists the aid of her brother and a friend to go look for her father, who has mysteriously disappeared.  They are helped by three strange old women who reminded me of the three good fairies in Sleeping Beauty.”  But from there, Walt Disney gives way to George Lucas as the children go on a fantasy ride to other worlds, other dimensions, and other beings.

I’m sorry to say I really didn’t enjoy this book.  Like the dramatization I had previously seen, I had trouble following the plot and I just couldn’t seem to get into the spirit of it at all.  I feel bad saying that since it’s an award-winning book, but I have to be honest.  I wish I could say why I felt this way, but I can’t.  All the elements of a good story were there:  fantasy, alien beings, adventure, family, love, etc.  But they just didn’t come together for me.  Maybe it’s because my wife was in the
kitchen making butternut squash for dinner.              

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