Happy 50th Anniversary, A Wrinkle in Time

Thursday, January 19, 2012

This year, Macmillan is celebrating the 50th anniversary of a book that's become a classic through the generations, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. First released in 1973, the book explored a unique realm of sci-fi and supernatural, blending elements that many readers of the genre weren't used to. And so, it reinvented the YA mold. Today, I'm so pleased to be a part of the 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Blogs Celebration to honour this classic before its brand new release date on January 31, 2012.


I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was 11 years old. I was desperate to find a book that was different than the books we had to read in school, and I kept looking for books that had more adventure, more drama and something entirely new. I remember finding the battered old copy on my sister's shelf, and I snatched it because, heck, that's what sisters do, right? Little did I know that this one book would transport me to another realm - a 5th dimension, as it were.

A Wrinkle in Time was the first book I ever read that presented a female protagonist that was entirely real and tangible for me. I understood her, I felt like I was journeying with her throughout the book and I was invested in her story. More than that though, Meg was capable, rather than a wimpy little girl, and I found that empowering. A Wrinkle in Time, though thoroughly intense and thrilling was also one that truly emphasized the importance of believing in yourself and the faith you have in your family. The message was wrapped up in a world of adventure though, and I lost myself in that book for weeks.

Opening the 50th anniversary edition of A Wrinkle in Time transported me back to my 11 year old self, marveling at the complexity of the story and the world within those pages. My old copy is battered and bruised, though I prefer to call it loved, with its taped-on cover nearly disintegrating. I read the book through again in one day, and though I have a different perspective having reviewed so many books and grown up, I enjoyed it as much as before. The world is just as beautiful, Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace are just as engaging and the story is still one I adore and can't wait to pass on to my children.


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The 50th anniversary edition of A Wrinkle in Time contains unique and never before published features including:

Frontispiece photo
Photo scrapbook with approximately 10 photos
Manuscript pages
Letter from 1963 Caldecott winner, Ezra Jack Keats
New introduction by Katherine Paterson, US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature New afterword by Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughter Charlotte Voiklis including six never-before-seen photos
Murry-O’Keefe family tree with new artwork
Madeleine L’Engle’s Newbery acceptance speech

To find A Wrinkle in Time on Facebook, please click HERE.

To view the blogs participating in the rest of this tour, please click HERE.

Thank you very much to Macmillan and Big Honcho Media for asking me to be a part of this wonderful tour!



10 comments:

  1. How cool to be part of that tour! I read A Wrinkle in Time when I was 9 and thought it was just okay. I think I would like it much more now that I'm more open to sci fi/fantasy. Plus, I adored Rebecca Stead's book a few years ago and it made me want to re-read A Wrinkle in Time.

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  2. I love books that have the power to do just that. :D I'd feel the same way when I open Nancy Drew books that I have painstakingly saved out of my allowance back as a kid. hahaha.

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  3. -So cool that it's 50 years old.
    -I wish I had read this one when I was young.
    -Have you read When You Reach Me?

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  4. I adored this book as a kid. In fact Calvin was my first very fictional boy crush who still holds a very soft spot in my heart. Although I have the second book (companion? sequel?) I haven't mustered up any courage to read it because I'm afraid it would diminish my love for A Wrinkle in Time. A timeless classic for sure!

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  5. I hate to admit this, but I have never read this book! Where have I been? I will definitely get myself this copy. I am so excited.

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  6. I have never read this book either! BOO :( But did you know today is Edgar Allen Poe's b-day!

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  7. I have never read this book before, which is so sad.

    BUT! I volunteered at the Book Fair at my girls' school this year, so Scholastic gave me a book of my choice. AND my choice was a brand new, shiny, beautiful trade paperback copy of A Wrinkle In Time, which is waiting patiently for me to read.

    I seriously cannot wait. Actually, I can't wait for the whole quintet. I KNOW I will love it.

    Thanks for highlighting it, Melissa! Awesome that you got to be part of the tour!

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  8. I remember first reading A Wrinkle in Time when I was in grade 6 and loving it because it was so unlike anything I'd read before. I really should get my own copy someday! It's been much too long since I've last re-read the book.

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  9. Oh, holy cow I love this story. This whole series, actually. So fantastic. I can't believe it's 50 years old! I'm going to have to re-read it, just for old times' sake.

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