A Swiftly Tilting Planet [Black & White] [Paperback]

Madeleine L'Engle (Author), Jody A. Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Meg Murry O'Keefe and her family are just sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner when her father gets a phone call from the White House about a madman's threat of nuclear war. Only an old Irish rune seems to hold a clue to averting worldwide disaster, and and when Meg's brother Charles Wallace, now fifteen, recites it, a radiant white beast--the unicorn Gaudior--appears to join him on his quest. But there are only twenty-four hours in which to stop tragedy from occurring. Can Charles Wallace, with the help of Gaudior and Meg, possibly succeed?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace Murry, whom readers first met in A Wrinkle in Time, has a little task he must accomplish. In 24 hours, a mad dictator will destroy the universe by declaring nuclear war--unless Charles Wallace can go back in time to change one of the many Might-Have-Beens in history. In an intricately layered and suspenseful journey through time, this extraordinary young man psychically enters four different people from other eras. As he perceives through their eyes "what might have been," he begins to comprehend the cosmic significance and consequences of every living creature's actions. As he witnesses first-hand the transformation of civilization from peaceful to warring times, his very existence is threatened, but the alternative is far worse.

The Murry family, also appearing in A Wind in the Door and Many Waters, acts as a carrier of Madeleine L'Engle's unique message about human responsibility for the world. Themes of good versus evil, time and space travel, and the invincibility of the human spirit predominate. Even while she entertains, L'Engle kindles the intellect, inspiring young people to ask questions of the world, and learn by challenging. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9. This recording completes Madeleine L'Engle's reading of the time travel trilogy that includes A Wrinkle in Time (FS&G, 1962) and A Wind in the Door (FS&G, 1973). Fans of the earlier works will avidly follow the further adventures of the O'Keefe family as they embark on a 24-hour quest to stop the destruction of the world by dictator "Mad Dog Branzillo." with the help of an ancient rune, the assistance of a wise and fearless unicorn, and the use of "kything" ( a type of especially acute telepathic communication), 15-year-old Charles Wallace attempts to trace the connections over time and generations that have led to Branzillo's rise to power. L'Engle uses essentially the same voice throughout the reading, which sometimes makes it difficult to know who is speaking. In addition, a slight lisp and a tendency to overemphasize sibilant sounds detract from the quality of the listening experience. This is an example of a recording where the material is wonderful but would have been more effectively presented by a professional narrator rather an by the author. Nevertheless, most public libraries will want to purchase this due to L'Engle's continued popularity among upper elementary and junior high school students.?Cindy Lombardo, Ashland Public Library, OH
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (December 15, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440401585
• ISBN-13: 978-0440401582
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,177,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Madeleine L'Engle, the popular author of many books for children and adults, has interspersed her writing and teaching career with raising three children, maintaining an apartment in New York and a farmhouse of charming confusion which is called "Crosswicks."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book, September 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Paperback)

I read Wrinkle in Time when I was 11 and thought it was the best thing I'd ever read. Wind in the Door and Swiftly Tilting Planet were published when I was an adult. I liked Wind in the Door, but it didn't have the "agic"of Wrinkle. When I picked up Swiftly Tilting Planet, I thought that I would enjoy it, but it wouldn't be up to par with Wrinkle. Boy was I wrong!

Planet was the most magnificient book I've ever read. I'm 46 years old and have read thousands of books over my lifetime, including all of Madeleine L'Engle's titles. This story is so inspirational, suspenseful, frightning, heartbreaking and joyful. It's just the best.

I use The Rune when I need a little "igher power"in my life as well as traditional prayers. I recommend it to everyone. It may be complicated for some children, but Ms. L'Engle doesn't write down for anyone. It can be a joyeous experience for the imaginative child and adult as well.

I think I'll sign off and go read it again right now.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is probably my favorite of all the Time Trilogy books!, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Swiftly Tilting Planet (The Time Quartet) (Paperback)

After reading A Wrinkle In Time and A Wind In the Door, (both of which are also fantastic) I had to read this one. I was blown away reading this! This IS a complicated book-many times while I was reading I turned back to some of the other parts to understand a bit better. But that was the delightful and interesting part about it! I loved the whole "mad dog" name thing and the way each of the people Charles visited were connected, and yet very different.

I disagree with people who talk about how it's bad that Meg is only a pregnant housewife and Calvin is a famous scientist. It says in the later books about Poly (Meg's oldest daughter) that Meg works with mathematics, numbers and all that.

I reccomend this to L'Engle or fantasy fans, especially those who've read the first Time Trilogy books. But if you can't handle complicated plots, numerous characters and different settings, wait a few more years to read this so that you can fully appreciate this book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite of the Time Quartet, June 23, 2006

By 

Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Paperback)

This is perhaps my favorite book in L'Engle's famous "Time Quartet." Set a decade after the events of the previous book, A Wind in the Door, Meg Murray and Calvin O'Keefe are now married and she pregnant when he is sent overseas one Thanksgiving. She takes her mother-in-law to her family's home for the holiday, but the mood of the celebration is shattered when the President calls Mr. Murray with dire news: the Central American dictator Mad Dog Branzillo has gotten his hands on a nuclear arsenal, and his fingers are stroking the button. A cryptic rune uttered by Mrs. O'Keefe sends the 15-year-old Charles Wallace on a quest through time itself on a desperate search for the link between Calvin's family and the Might-Have-Been that he has to change to save the world.

Although this is, like I said, my favorite of the Time Quartet, it's safe to say it wouldn't be as good a book without the previous two. L'Engle tries to make the story self-contained, but there's very little in this book in the way of character development, she relies heavily on readers' conceptions of the characters from the previous novels to drive this story forward. The book is also very episodic -- Charles Wallace goes Within various people at various times, and with each of them he experiences a lifetime. The book almost reads like a series of interconnected short stories linked through the framing sequence of Charles trying to stop Branzillo. As a result, there are multiple antagonists and protagonists alike, giving the book a very epic, far-reaching feel.

This is, like I said, my favorite of the Time Quartet -- I just wouldn't recommend reading it by itself.