A Wrinkle in Time is the epitome of children’s fantasy. It is shrouded in mystery and magic and even an intergalactic rescue! The story is fast paced and intelligent and the characters are endearing. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which have to be some of the strangest names for characters ever thought up, but they are among my favorite characters of all time! They are different and strange; mystical and powerful; and sometimes very silly! Charles Wallace is sweet and intelligent. He not only uses his brain, but he has common sense as well. Meg is bungling and awkward and full of faults—but that is, funny as it may sound, her saving grace. Calvin is smart and popular, yet lonely…until he finds Charles Wallace and Meg and the trio of old ‘ladies’. They all come together with one purpose in mind: To thwart the Black Thing and save the father of Meg and Charles! There is so much packed into this little novel. There are stories and quotes from Mrs. Who that are cryptic but meaningful. We have lessons on time travel—all the dimensions are explained (with pictures!) to the children in a way that we can all understand and remember; and all the while, we aren’t bogged down by so much information, but kept intrigued by the mysteriousness of it all. A beautiful portrayal of good vs evil and of what lengths we will go to save the ones we love!
Content Analysis:
The violence consists of a few characters tackling other characters in order to help them, and some characters hitting others (mostly during tantrums of sorts). On the Dark Planet, if people even get sick they are ‘put to sleep’ (killed). This is only mentioned in passing and is not elaborated upon.
There are only 2 or 3 uses of profanity, and they are mild. I read this out loud to my small children and they really enjoyed it!
Mature Subject Matter:
The main theme of this book has to do with good fighting evil, and overcoming all odds to save our loved ones. With this comes a few thing to ‘talk about’ such as the loneliness of being different (and yet the importance of individuality!), love within a family, and fighting against evil. IT (the ‘boss’ of the evil) is scary and sort of creepy—not just its physical aspect, but that it tries to confuse and take over. The Black Thing is also a scary concept. The idea of a Dark Planet (one who has given in to the Black Thing) may be a little disturbing.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
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