Customer Reviews

The Wrinkle in Time Quintet Boxed Set (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set of 5 fantastic and interwoven tales (each of which stands upright and satisfyingly complete on it's own) really is for any age from about 10 up if you're interested in high quality, thoughtful writing, broad spectrum plots with well-drawn, complex, believeable characters and, genuine Meaning (without a mallet!) everywhere you look..... I am 62 and over the years I have read every one of these at least twice....(personal favorite is Many Waters)......Enjoy!...

Madeleine L'Engle's "Time Quintet" has long been a staple of young adult literature. The earthy nature of her characters makes you want to follow them on their travels around the quaint Murry farm and, indeed, around the universe. "A Wrinkle in Time" is the cornerstone of the quintet. In it, we meet the Murry's quirky and original family and soon are wishing it was our own--as Calvin does. The scientific idea of the book involves tessering, or wrinkling, time. The more imaginitive setting is the war against "the darkness" seeking to envelop planets. "A Wind in the Door" is a little more difficult as it explores the differences or implications of "being" versus "non-being and the satanic Ecthroi and their war on the universe at ALL levels--even as tiny (size doesn't matter) as a farandola. "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" is a beautiful picture of what can happen when we charge the universe and place ourselves in the gap at times of great need. In ASTP, we find out more about the O'Keefe side of the family and the inhabitants around the star-watching rock many, many years before the Murrys come onto the scene. "Many Waters" is also a beautifully layered book looking at the pre-flood era of Noah and his family. Finally, we get to know more about Sandy and Dennys! They prove to be more that "just kids" as they begin to fit right in, help Noah with his Ark project, and gain the love of Noah's generation. Many great "what-if's" here. Lastly, we have "An Acceptable Time" which follows Polly O'Keefe (Meg and Calvin's firstborn) as she travels through time to the People of the Wind that lived around the Murry's land 3,000 years before they did. Through all her travails, she discovers that her gift and many other things must wait for "An Acceptable Time."

Remember this book as a child? I dug it out for my 9 year-old and he just loved it. We looked up on Amazon to see if there was anything else written by the author and were pleasantly surprised to see that this was a series of five books. He whipped through this series and LOVED it. I will also say that the updated boxed set is great--I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but these are just adorable, even though they're paperback. A fine update from a wonderful classic--and it looks cute on the shelf, too.

I love these books. My eight-year-old son loves these books. I read A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door when I was a child, and I loved both so much that I about wore the ink off the pages re-reading them. My son received this boxed set from his cousin, and we started reading them together.

The books themselves are well-made. I've gotten box sets (of other series) that were flimsy, fell apart, etc. These are well-produced, sturdy paperbacks that will hold up to repeated readings. The content is just exquisite. Juvenile fiction just doesn't get any better than this. The dialogue can be a little prim. The time travel theories can be a bit sketchy. But the stories are wonderfully written, richly descriptive worlds in which unconditional love and forgiveness make all things possible.

The only real caution I have is that in Many Waters, there are chaste, but obvious, references to intimate relations. They went right over my son's head (I think), and they weren't at all graphic or salacious, but parents might want to read the book and then decide whether their children are ready for it.

The wrinkle in time series is one of the best series of childrens books ever written. This product containing all five books is a better value and keeps the books organized together in a boxed set than if purchased individually. There are other published versions and it is difficult to find all five books containing the same artwork. The old artwork style is a little better and less cartoonish, but it looks better having all five books with the same covers.

... and, asked for the whole set for Christmas. I think it is a nice boxed set at a great price.

This is arguably one of the best series ever written for adolescents. (I would say 10-16 years old, depending on the child.) They are beautifully written allegorical novels that teach good values without being preachy. I remember them well from reading them over 20 years ago, and bought this set for my daughter's collection. She is 5 months old now, and I am reading them to her(she does not care what we read). I hope that in time she will read them herself.

Madeleine L'Engle's series has often been overlooked and downplayed in this time of Harry Potter and Narnia, but the spirit and energy are still there and captured in this EXCELLENT Boxset!

My son read "A Wrinkle in Time" at school. He liked it so much that he was very excited to find it was part of a series. If it can get a 11 year old boy to read and want more, you know it must be good!

I didn't always stay on task in Elementary School (or Middle School, or High School); but the reason in Elementary School was usually that I had a book open under the table. Well, this book got me caught in 5th grade when I was ten. There we were, supposed to be learning about fractions (I don't remember because I obviously wasn't paying attention) and I could not help but weep openly in class. My teacher assumed I must have trouble at home (I had never cried in class before) and sent me to the counselor, where I confessed that I was crying because I was reading this incredible book and I felt sorry for poor Meg, who is so worried because little Charles Wallace is now in rhythm with the big brain and we don't know how we're going to get him back. The counselor sent me back to class with a note for my parents about my off-task behavior. Twenty years later, these books (Wrinke in Time most of all) still move me. I am buying this set so my daughter will have the same opportunity to experience the adventure that I had so many years ago. Buy this book - just don't let your kids sneak them into class!