SuitabookA Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle
- Reading
- Pause after the main confrontations to distinguish what the characters fear from what they choose. Afterwards, compare the book’s ideas about love and individuality with the consequences shown in the story.
- Themes
- Individuality and conformity: A planet is described as eliminating difference by making people think and move identically; Meg resists that system. The story presents difference and independent thinking as important forces in resisting control.
- Love and family loyalty: Meg’s journey begins with her missing father and is driven by concern for her family, especially her brother. Love is portrayed as an active force that helps Meg confront danger and mental control.
- Fear, danger and vulnerability: Children travel through unfamiliar worlds and confront a force that can control minds; Meg also discovers that her father is not an invincible protector. The premise allows discussion of bravery alongside vulnerability, but the overall judgement of danger is not firmly established.
- Worth knowing
- Some readers may need to discuss the frightening presence of a mind-controlling brain, the children’s peril, the father’s disappearance, and the story’s mild flirtation and kiss.