Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Rating:
Who Should Read It? I think this will mostly appeal to 11-12 year old girls, but there's really something in it for everyone, so I think that boys and adults have the potential to enjoy it as well!
What I Have to Say: I read this book when I was about 12 years old, and I remember absolutely ADORING it! Recently, though, I have been reading reviews of it by people that reread it as adults and didn't love it nearly as much. I was horrified! These people must have grown up too much, I thought. And so I of course decided that I had to reread it to see for myself.
And I feel justified in my thought that these people must have grown up too much. Reading this book over again, I was once again filled with my initial sense of childish wonder. I was once again awed and inspired, and I once again fell in love the characters and places that L'Engle brings to life in this enchanting story. Meg's intelligence combined with her feelings of awkwardness and separateness resonated just as true with me now as it did then. Her desire to overcome this awkwardness without losing herself, and her ability to be strong through all of her travails, were even more inspiring to me now, as an adult (agh! Do I really have to call myself that?), I think, than they were when I was 11 or 12 years old and reading this.
Rereading it, I realized that there were so many things and ideas involved that I without a doubt missed the first time around. It appealed to my older person sensibilities as well as appealing to the child in me, as there is something for everyone contained in this little work. It combines fantasy with action with physics (or rather, time travel) with mystery with youth, and what comes out is just amazing and wonderful! I almost felt like it was a mixture of Flatland with the Borrowers and maybe throw in a little Harry Potter.
To be honest, I'm truly shocked to think that there are people that enjoyed this as a child that didn't enjoy it the second time around. There's a little something for everyone, and despite the intrigue being resolved in the end, it's got great re-readability potential! And now I'm excited to read the rest of this series, which I for some reason did not read when I was younger.
Summary: Meg's father mysteriously disappears after experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel. Determined to rescue him, Meg and her friends must outwit the forces of evil on a heart-stopping journey through space and time. A Newbery Medal winner.
Cover Story: There are so many different covers of this book that it's hard to really make a comment. The cover of the version I read, though, is absolutely amazing, with a beautiful centaur in front of a gorgeous purple sky, flying over amazing mountains. And then, of course, interesting geometrical shapes at the bottom. It encompasses everything that is good about this book.
8 comments:
I am kind of afraid of re-reading all favs, I fear I might not love them as much as I did as a kid...but then you did :)
I think this is a sign of a really good book - to be able to read a childhood favourite and enjoy it as an adult is wonderful.
I remember reading it years ago when I was younger and is one I'm planning to reread soon.
WOW, I never thought rereading one of our own favs would turn out badly. At least yours turned out good.
I'm one of those that had a hard time with it as an adult. Maybe 'cause I never read it as a child. Great review!
I read this book for school when I was younger and HATED it. I'm not sure if this had to do with the story itself or the fact that I had to read it for school.
I definitely need to re-read this one. It's been way too long...
The master is one who 'lives' the principles and philosophy and is truly an inspirational model for not only defending oneself, but also for living one's life powerfully.
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