Wrinkle in Time: (Newbery Medal Winner): 1 (Wrinkle in Time Quintet) Paperback – 1 May 2007

It says on the front cover ‘a masterpiece of science fiction’ and for a long time I wondered, as I felt the start was over-written, too flowery. Then I got well and truly drawn into the plot, and despite shades of 1984 and a few other alternate universe stories of the 1960s great SF writers, I concluded the cover was right. This is a masterpiece.We find Meg Murry at school or home with her mother and brothers. At first it is hard to tell that the youngest brother is not an adult. He is strange, but this strangeness is something treasured by his parents and beautifully explained – as are Meg’s own foibles – as something he’ll grow into. I remembered one young friend of mine who similarly spoke in the most complete and grammatically perfect sentences from a very young age, and accepted Charlie Wallace (Meg’s brother) from then on.Acceptance is one of the many themes in this book. Acceptance of who you are, and of people’s differences. As we follow Meg, Charlie Wallace and their friend Calvin to the planet of Camazotz in search of Meg’s father, we learn, as do they, that our differences are not only important to us, but also to our society, and even our world.The book splits fairly evenly into two parts: understanding Meg at home with her mother and brothers, and the strangeness and mysteries in their lives, and the quest to find her father, through the Wrinkle in Time. There is a fair amount of science – from psychology through to quantum physics – in bite-sized chunks in this book, which I enjoyed. It’s not essential to enjoying the plot, but I reckon a good many young readers will enjoy it too. The ending is a little cliched nowadays, but it wouldn’t have been when the story was written.One part I particularly enjoyed was the interaction with some planetary inhabitants who have not developed sight. Having recently debated with myself whether I could adequately include a deaf character in my books, I was fascinated not only by the story and descriptions of the people, but also the consequences for society, morals, and ways of doing things that would result from living without sight. I liked the way these beings concluded that sight was a limitation for Meg and her friends.A Wrinkle in Time has made me thoughtful; I’m still pondering some parts of the adventure. It is a compelling book, one that I recommend highly, and it is definitely a classic.

The reasons that inspired me to read this book were the Disney film of the same name which I've not yet seen but looking forward to trying out and there were a couple of references to it in Manifest a TV series I watched.I enjoyed this book and thought it was a good story and it helped me to fill in my free time. I'll look forward to checking out the movie now which I hope I'll also enjoy!

I loved this book as a teenager. Now, I'm not sure it's worn very well. It seems simplistic and the main characters are old fashioned. Still, it's been made into a film so it ought to do well. And it is still quite a good story.

Bought the book for my son because it was recommended by his school.

I bought this book knowing nothing about the story as it was recommended by a friend and was pleasantly surprised - I read it in one sitting over 3 hours or so and once I’d finished, I sat wishing I could read it again for the first time!While the story is relatively short and the writing style is simplistic at times, it isn’t at all dull to read - it’s relaxing and suitable for a wide audience (probably from around 11 upwards) and the characters (especially meg!) are relatable and appealing without being flawlessI would describe the story as rather whimsical fantasy (it reminded me of a ghibli film in places) but not in a way that could put off older readers.Overall, a brilliant story and definitely worth the price!

This is another fantasy novel for older children published in the early 1960s, though unlike the Alan Garner novel I read just before this, this one contains much more of a mixture of fantasy and science fiction ideas. Meg and her brother Charles Wallace and another boy Calvin meet three mysterious "witches" who go by the delightful names of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. In search of Meg and Charles's father, who disappeared a year ago while supposedly carrying out top secret government work, the children are then whisked off through the eponymous medium to another planet threatened by a mysterious dark force which also threatens the Earth. However, most of the action takes place on the planet Camazotz, ruled over by a disembodied brain which enforces total uniformity on its inhabitants in the name of guaranteeing order and happiness, which is quite a stark idea, opening up readers' minds to concepts of personal freedom and the potential price that can be paid for order and happiness (or at least, as here, an absence of unhappiness or pain, which is not the same thing at all). The children's characters are quite clearly delineated and more three dimensional than many child central characters in young people's literature. The ending was rather abrupt, though I understand the author went to write a quintet of these novels.