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Banned Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
Revisiting one of my favorite books when I was a kid
When I was compiling my collection of banned book pieces, it astonished me to discover that A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, had been banned. Really? It was one of the most delightful books I ever read.
It’s also got a main character who’s a smart girl. Was that why it was banned? Because it really pissed off someone that a lead could be (a) a girl (b) who was very smart? I decided to find out, and to reread this beloved classic to see if it held up and if I would still enjoy it now.
The book came out in 1962, but I was only 5 and it is rated for kids 9–11, so I probably read it in third grade (age 8 or 9), because I was reading adult sci-fi by 10. I usually didn’t have any patience with kids’ books, but Wrinkle has a main character, 13-year-old Meg, who totally resonated with me: smart and awkward, wearing glasses and braces, bullied by other kids, and mad at the world. (Plus, her mom was a scientist, and mine was a botanist.) I loved Meg! She gave me permission to be myself and not be embarrassed about being smart. On top of that, she faced her fears and conquered evil!
Wrinkle also began with one of the first adult in-jokes that I got to be in on. The book begins with…
