2nd Quarter Annotated Reading List...

L'Engle, Madeleine. A Swiftly Tilting Planet. New York: Square Fish/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978. Print. (320 pages)

"It's the end of the world as we know it!" In this Wrinkle In Time book, Charles Wallace is put up against an impossible enemy: Nuclear War. In order to prevent nuclear war, Charles must travel back in time to change a "might have been" and ultimately change the fate of the world. Charles learns that we are placed where we are meant to be, and not necessarily where we think we should be, or where we want to be. And beyond that he finds that there is so much more to a situation then meets the eye. With the help of a time-traveling unicorn, his sister Meg, and even the wind, Charles unlocks the secret to saving the day.

More then anything, L'Engle captures how the impact of small decisions can spread far and wide and effect not only all of earth, but all of the universe as well. In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Charles is sent back in time to see how the family line of a foreign leader can change the world, and the choice between two brothers can effect the universe. The author was able to create a diverse and complex family tree, and weave the plot throughout it, with surprising twists. Although slightly confusing, this intense family tree make the book even more interesting then imagined.

L'Engle, Madeleine. A Wind in the Door. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973. Print. (256 pages)

In A Wind in the Door, the previously large scale of A Wrinkle In Time was so large that it was almost unfathomable is reversed. Our main characters find themselves with in Mitochondria, microscopic organisms within Charles Wallace. In order to save him Meg, Clavin, and a cherubim named Proginoskis, and even with Meg's hated elementary school Principle, Mr. Jenkins. Meg discovers that love is not limited to the people we like, and that it's important to love everyone, even if it's hard.

One of the amazing things about this book in the Wrinkle In Time Series is that the author acknowledges the super natural abilities of animals. The twins, Sandy and Dennys, have a pet snake who is able to tell the evil demon-creatures known as echthroi, from the real people. The doctor that the snake is named after also admits to having a snake that could determine whether or not a person was trustworthy. This theme is also represented in A Swiftly Tilting Planet, when a golden retriever mix helps Meg to Kythe (a form of communication similar to telepathy) with Charles Wallace as he travels through time.

L'Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1962. Print. (211 pages)

The first book to the Time Quintet, this book opens the way for all the other books as Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and a new friend, Calvin, travel the galaxy with three mysterious... beings to save their father. Meg's father had previously being experimenting with something called a tesseract, a form of transportation that skips through space and time. The three moral characters begin to tesser with the three imortal characters: Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit. First they find themselves in a strange land to see what they're up against, a dark evil shadow, that transforms planets into dark, joyless rocks, where the inhabits are often brain washed or controlled by evil. When they finally reach the evil planet where thier father is being held captive, the are forced to loose Charles Wallace, while saving Meg's father. In the end, it's all up to Meg, and she only has one weapon left... If she can discover what it is.

Most book series seem to begin smaller and gradually grow bigger in scale as they come closer to the grand finale. L'Engle has reversed this usual practice and began in the biggest way she can, transporting characters through space and time, across galaxies, and through impossible feats. One of the main characters, Mrs. Whatsit, is a former star, who was forced to give up her life to save her system, and become a new form. What the reader can barely struggle to comprehend is described beautifully by the author. Charles Wallace, a small for his age, and seemingly dumb child, reveals himself as intelligent beyond human intellect, with possession of a knowing beyond scientific recognition. The scale of almost every aspect of the book is enormous beyond human imagination.