A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle

Genre: Science Fiction/Novel
Age Range: 12 and up
Summary: Meg Murry is miserable. She has uncontrollable hair, wears braces and glasses, and is always in trouble at school. Her father has disappeared and no one knows where he went. Her brother, Charles Wallace, seems to be the only one who really understands her, but everyone thinks he is stupid because he doesn’t talk very much. One day, three old witches move into the haunted house over the back fence. On their way to visit the witches, they meet Calvin, the third oldest child of eleven children who believes his family doesn’t care about him. They discover that the three witches know where Meg and Charles Wallace’s father is, and that it is up to the children to rescue him. The witches first take them to the planet Uriel, where they see a Black Thing covering a large segment of space. In viewing the Black Thing, the children feel a tangible evil. The witches then tell them that the Black Thing is shadowing earth and that there are forces in the universe combating the evil of the Black Thing. Each of the witches, in fact, is not a witch at all, but is instead a star that has given its light to combat the evil darkness. The witches then tell the children that they can take them to the planet where Meg and Charles Wallace’s father is imprisoned, but they must combat the evil by themselves. The witches each give the children a gift, and they are left to discover how to combat the darkness. As they walk along the street of this new planet, they see that everyone is regimented. All of the children are playing in their yards, but their games are strangely rhythmic. At the very same moment, all of the mothers come to the door and call the children to come in. Only one child is out of rhythm, and the boy’s mother looks frightened when they ask her about her planet. They meet a paper boy, who directs them to the CENTRAL Central Intelligence Agency. There, they discover a man who seems to be able to hypnotize them. Megan and Calvin resist, but Charles Wallace is overcome by IT. The man explains that by taking away their desire to act for themselves, IT makes life painless and eliminates the need for decisions. IT controls their very breath, and if they become ill, they are put to sleep. While they try to find a way to rescue Charles Wallace, they succeed in rescuing Mr. Murry. They are forced to leave him on the planet, however, as IT threatens to overcome them all. Mr. Murry, Calvin and Meg find themselves on another planet in the same solar system, but Meg is very ill. Traveling through the Black Thing has paralyzed her and she is cold clear through. Just as Mr. Murry and Calvin are becoming desperate, they notice three blind furry creatures coming toward them. The creatures are unlike any creatures they have met, but they seem kind, and they succeed in restoring Meg. Healthy again, Meg realizes that she is the one who must rescue Calvin. She is returned to the planet where IT is in control, and it is her expression of love for Calvin that allows him to break away from the influence of IT, and as he does, they whirl through the darkness and end up in the Murry’s vegetable patch. The family is overjoyed to be reunited.