“It was a dark and stormy night.”

From Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.

Meg Murry’s world is falling apart; her father has disappeared and Meg, her mother, and her three brothers (Sandy, Dennys, and Charles Wallace) are left searching for answers.  As a scientist, her father was brilliant, but his latest project on space/time travel may have placed him in grave danger, and the government refuses to help the Murry family.  With the help of her friend Calvin and youngest brother, Charles Wallace (who is special in ways that he can’t even yet imagine), Meg decides to search for her father and help bring him home.  The trio of kids are quickly left with a seemingly dead end and more questions than answers… until three mysterious women arrive (Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit) and claim to know not only what happened to Meg’s father, but also how to find him.  Their introduction to the three women quickly propels the children into a quest through other worlds and dimensions, both amazing and terrifying, on a quest to save Doctor Murry before all is lost.  Along the way, Meg and the boys discover a mysterious darkness that is overtaking everything and it is somehow connected to Doctor Murry’s work, but can the children figure out the source of the evil before it is too late, or will they be lost forever?

The characters and worlds are amazingly described and developed, creating a captivating adventure from start to finish.  It is, without a doubt, a wild ride, but the craziness only adds to the wonder of the book; when nothing is as it seems, L’Engle can make anything possible.  The story is full of twists and surprises that make it an interesting read, while the diverse group of characters makes it a memorable read.  A Wrinkle in Time is mesmerizing book that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.