A Wrinkle in Time    by Madeleine L'Engle Order:  USA  Can Laurel Leaf, 1998 (1962) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke In her 1997 Introduction to A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle writes, 'What a delight to see these beautiful new covers for the Time Quartet. It is another indication that stories have a life of their own, and that they say different things to different people at different times ... it is an affirmation that story is true and takes us beyond the facts into something more real.' The Murry's - Meg, young brother Charles Wallace, and scientists Mom and Dad - are among those who ask the question: Are we alone in the universe or not? Meg is a genius in mathematics, but always wants to take the problem-solving short-cuts she learned from her father. Charles Wallace is referred to as 'dumb younger brother' because of his silence. Actually, he is a genius, who senses things no one else can. Their parents are scientists, and Mr. Murry disappeared while conducting a 'fifth dimension of time-travel experiment'. Out of the storm one night comes a stranger, Mrs. Whatsit, whom Charles Wallace knows from the shack in the woods, where she resides with Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. Calvin O'Keefe, whom Meg knows from a distance at school, also shows up. His family is very different from Meg's, and he believes that he was meant to meet hers. Mrs. Whatsit explains the concept of a tesseract, a wrinkle in time. An adventure begins for Calvin, Meg and Charles Wallace in search of Mr. Murry. Mrs. Whatsit transforms before their eyes into a beautiful creature - 'a marble-white body with powerful flanks, something like a horse ... from the magnificently modeled back sprang a nobly formed torso, arms, and a head resembling a man's ... From the shoulders slowly a pair of wings unfolded ... made of rainbows, of light upon water, of poetry.' The being transports the three children to other worlds - to meet the Medium, to the Orion belt, to the mountain top of Uriel, and to Camazotz, whose residents all conduct their lives by conforming to the same beat and timing. Madeleine L'Engle enraptures readers with allegorical words that include a reference to Shakespeare's Ariel in The Tempest. L'Engle's story explores what is temporal versus eternal. Winner of the Newbery Medal, the author has many credits in both youth and adult books. I recommend that readers experience tesseracts by entering A Wrinkle in Time as companions in this absorbing Murry family adventure. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews