A Wrinkle In Time

You've probably heard of this book. Maybe it was read to you when you were a child. It is enormously popular as a chapter book for children. You might think that makes it a children's book and what the hell is it doing in the top ten of best science fiction standalone books? Right? Well, this is an unusual book. Technically people call its genre science fiction fantasy because it has legs in both ponds. Really, it's a novel that spans ages, genres, and pre-conceived ideas on what makes a book really exceptionally good. L'Engle delivered this masterpiece in 1962, at a time when women couldn't possibly be writing science fiction. It was unacceptable. Worse, she had a female heroine and children in her novel. At that time science fiction only happened to men. When women showed up in their novels, those women were decorative, sexual objects or took minor roles. Not so for L'Engle. So, her novel must be for children and that's where it was placed - for years. She won the Newbery, Sequoyah and Lewis Carroll Shelf awards. But, no one keeps L'Engle down. A Wrinkle In Time is often the vehicle book that brings children into science fiction, fantasy and wonder. So, if you haven't had it read to you, make your significant other sit back in the evening with your head pillowed on their lap and listen. If you can't manage that, look for an audio book version and discover great science fiction and your inner child all at the same time.