A Wrinkle in Time, a reread

I first read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, the first book in a series of apparently 5 books, back in 1999 as part of a literacy class I took on the path to elementary school teacher certification. Of the books I read for that class, this is the one that I was only lukewarm about. Nearly 20 years later, I remain lukewarm.

Admittedly, I'm not a fantasy lover nor am I a fan of science fiction. In 1999, I learned that even though some of this middle grades novel are fantastical, it falls into the science fiction genre because much of the book is based on scientific fact. Or so I'm told. I have never had the desire to delve more deeply into the science behind the story.

The story has elements that I like. An insecure older sister with a close relationship to her child prodigy younger brother, a loving yet quirky mom. A first boy-girl relationship. I really, really wanted to like this book the second time around. I can see the appeal to others, but it just held no appeal to me.

As a fifth grade teacher, I wondered if this book was appropriate for my students. And years later, I still wonder the same thing. I found the language more difficult than most of my students would have been able to comprehend. Yet many of the fans of this novel are 4th to 6th graders. Even as an adult, there were some religious references that I don't quite understand.

It really wasn't until I read the introduction by Anna Quindlen titled An Appreciation of Madeline L'Engle that I fully understood the contrast between the real world and the dystopian society on the planet Camazotz. I think I didn't get that earlier because the stuff that I don't like about fantasy and science distracted me from that aspect.

I am, however, looking forward to the movie due to come out sometime in 2018. The trailer seems intriguing. Perhaps that's an adaptation of the story that I can like.