A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Gr 5–9—The 50th anniversary of the publication of Madeleine L'Engle's Newbery award-winner, A Wrinkle in Time (Farrar, 1962), has spurred the rerecording of her science fiction/fantasies. Highly praised, A Wrinkle in Time launched what became a succession of books with intergalactic, intracellular, and time travels featuring socially-challenged Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace, and friend Calvin O'Keefe, who later became Meg's husband. In Wrinkle, they rescue Meg's physicist dad from the clutches of "It"—a mind-controlling entity. A Wind in the Door (Square Fish, pap. 2007) has Meg, Calvin, and fantastical creatures slipping into the mitochondria of a very-ill Charles Wallace. In A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Square Fish, pap. 2007), a teenaged Charles Wallace transcends time and danger to alter history so the world is no longer threatened by a belligerent dictator. Though Calvin is out of town, Charles is assisted by a grown, pregnant Meg through mind-to-mind flow. Though written decades ago, all three novels connect with current headlines on bullying, societal conformity, dangerous microorganisms, and potential threats of nuclear aggression. After an introduction spoken by L'Engle, Hope Davis narrates A Wrinkle in Time with careful intensity. Narrator Jennifer Ehle brings verve and emotional clarity to the other two titles. The sound quality is excellent. While some listeners who have enjoyed these titles originally read by L'Engle may miss the author's interpretation of her text, they will find that Davis and Ehle add youthful energy to these works. L'Engle's modern classics are school and public library standards, and these new recordings are a very good way to fill in any gaps.—Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT