A Wrinkle in Time

My eldest daughter, for a while, wanted me to read stories before bedtime. She’s twelve so finding something that she would find interesting was a tricky task since, if I’m honest, I’m not the biggest reader. I try, often, to change that but, as yet, I still read very intermittently. So, without much experience I decided to trust in Google and searched up what are good reads for girls aged 12 years or younger and, amongst them was a title I recognised; A Wrinkle in Time.

Now, I know the title from the mostly okay movie from the 2018 film. It doesn’t have the best reviews but having watched it again post book completion I can understand why but I still find it an entertaining enough movie. Anyway, our story takes place on a “dark and stormy night” which I feel is always a wonderfully dramatic way to start a story. As the story opens we’re introduced to our main characters of Meg Murry, Charles Wallace, their mother Katherine and, eventually, Calvin O’Keefe. Poor Calvin was not much liked by my daughter to begin with and even though her stance softened by the end, was none too pleased to discover he and Meg marry later in the series. Additionally we meet Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which, three supernatural beings who are the catalyst for Meg, Charles and Calvin’s adventures to rescue Dr. Alex Murray; Meg and Charles’ father. Along the way we visit far off planets and the villain of our story called the Black Thing.

As I read through there was plenty of religious messaging in there, particularly when referring to the fight between the light and the dark. It’s not subtle but nothing that feels overpowering or preachy, least not in my view anyway and I’m pretty far from being a religious person. What I did find comforting was it’s messaging around being yourself, taking pride in who you are, and not feeling like you have to conform. As I read this to my tween daughter I hoped that some of this messaging sunk in as she is going through such a transformative time as she not only navigates her first year of high school but changes that come about from puberty, too. For the same reason, I’ve been very focussed on movies, games and stories that feature strong female characters whether they are the hero (most preferred) or a main character in the story. Reading to her about Meg and how she was able to figure things out and overcome the challenges she faced with her intelligence and wit was very important the more we read through the story.

In Summary

A short review to kick this new section off and a way to test the layout but what I will say about A Wrinkle in Time is that it is worth your time to read, especially if you have a tween or young teenage daughter. Meg is a fantastic heroine who no doubt paved the way for future strong characters such as Katniss Everdeen. If you worried about some of the religious symbolism, don’t be, as there’s plenty more to the story and its messaging that just the relgious aspect.

Verdict: A wonderfully deep story that's engaging as it is thought provoking

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