A Wrinkle in Time facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A Wrinkle in Time is an amazing science fiction and fantasy book written by Madeleine L'Engle. It first came out in 1962. This book won several big awards, like the 1963 Newbery Medal, which is a really important award for children's books. It also won the Sequoyah Book Award in 1965 and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1964.

Quick facts for kids
A Wrinkle in Time
Current book cover art (2007) by Taeeun Yoo, showing the Mrs. W's (at the left) and the children at the CENTRAL Central Intelligence building (at the right)
Author	Madeleine L'Engle
Illustrator	Ellen Raskin (1960s editions), Leo and Diane Dillon (current hardcover)
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Time Quintet
Genre	Young adult, Science fiction novel
Publisher	Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Publication date	1962
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	238 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-374-38613-7
OCLC	99
Followed by	A Wind in the Door

What the Story is About
Main Characters
Images for kids
See also

What the Story is About

A Wrinkle in Time tells the exciting story of a girl named Meg Murry. She is a high school student who goes on an amazing adventure through time and space. Her younger brother, Charles Wallace, and her friend, Calvin O'Keefe, join her. Their mission is to rescue her father, a brilliant scientist, who is trapped by evil forces on another planet.

At the start of the book, Meg feels a bit awkward and unsure of herself. She is also very worried about her dad, who has been missing for over a year. The adventure begins when a strange lady named Mrs. Whatsit arrives at the Murry house during a stormy night. She looks like a homeless person, but she is actually a magical being! She surprises Meg's mom by talking about something called a "tesseract." This is like a "wrinkle" in space and time. Meg and her friends will use this wrinkle to travel through the fifth dimension to find Mr. Murry.

The Journey Begins

The day after Mrs. Whatsit's visit, Meg and Charles Wallace walk to Mrs. Whatsit's cabin. On the way, they meet Calvin O'Keefe, a popular boy from Meg's school. Charles Wallace feels a special connection with Calvin. At the cabin, Mrs. Whatsit and her friends, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, tell the children about a big evil force. It's called the Dark Thing, and it looks like a giant, dark cloud that swallows stars. Many planets have already been taken over by this evil, including Camazotz. This is the planet where Mr. Murry is being held prisoner.

The three Mrs. W's transport the children to Camazotz. They tell them to always stay together during their search for Mr. Murry. On Camazotz, everything looks exactly the same. This is because the whole planet must follow the scary, pulsing rhythm of IT. IT is a giant, disembodied brain that controls everything.

Facing the Evil

Charles Wallace tries to fight IT with his amazing intelligence. But IT is too powerful, and Charles Wallace becomes like a robot. He starts repeating the words that IT puts into his mind. Under IT's control, Charles leads Meg and Calvin to Mr. Murry. Together, they confront IT. However, they also struggle against IT's power. They only escape at the last moment when Mr. Murry appears. He grabs Meg and Calvin and "tessers" away with them. This means they travel through another tesseract to a gray planet called Ixchel. This planet is home to tall, furry creatures who take care of the travelers. Sadly, Charles Wallace remains under IT's control, a prisoner on Camazotz.

Meg's Special Power

On Planet Ixchel, the three Mrs. W's appear again. Meg realizes that she must go back to Camazotz alone to save her brother. Mrs. Which tells her that she has one special thing that IT does not have. This will be her weapon against the evil. But Meg has to figure out what this weapon is for herself. When she stands before IT, Meg finally understands: her ability to love.

By focusing all her love on Charles Wallace, she is able to bring him back to his true self. Meg frees Charles from IT's grip. They tesser together through time and space, landing safely in her twin brothers' vegetable garden on Earth. Her father and Calvin are waiting there. The family is joyfully reunited. The Mrs. W's visit the happy scene briefly before continuing their own travels.

Main Characters

Meg Murry - She is the main hero of the book. Meg is a high school student who feels a bit awkward but is very loving. She goes on an adventure through time and space with her brother and friend to save her dad. Meg learns to overcome her anger and lack of confidence to win against evil.

Charles Wallace Murry - Meg's incredibly smart five-year-old younger brother. He can read minds and understand other creatures in a way no one else in his family can.

Calvin O'Keefe - A popular and athletic boy from Meg's high school. He joins the Murry children on their adventure. Calvin comes from a family that doesn't show him much care, but he has a strong ability to love. He also starts to like Meg.

IT - This is a disembodied brain that controls everyone on the planet Camazotz with its creepy, pulsing rhythm. IT is the symbol of evil on this planet.

The Black Thing - A cold, dark shadow that represents the evil forces. Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace must fight against it to rescue their father.

Mrs. Whatsit - The youngest of the three magical beings who help the children on their adventure. Meg first meets her as a strange person who took bed-sheets. Later, Meg learns that Mrs. Whatsit used to be a star but gave up her star form to fight the Dark Thing.

Mrs. Which - The oldest of the three magical beings. Mrs. Which often appears as just a shimmering light because she has trouble becoming solid. She speaks in a unique way, with capitalized words and repeated first letters.

Mrs. Who - The second of the three magical beings. She usually speaks using famous quotes from thinkers and writers. She finds it hard to make up her own sentences. The children first meet her sewing sheets in a supposedly haunted house.

Mr. Murry - Meg's father and a physicist. He works for a top-secret government agency, experimenting with space-time travel in the fifth dimension. He gets captured and trapped on the dark planet Camazotz while trying to "tesser" to Mars.

Aunt Beast - A tall, furry creature with many tentacles from the planet Ixchel. She lovingly cares for Meg after Meg is almost destroyed by the Black Thing. Aunt Beast, like all creatures on Ixchel, has no eyes and doesn't understand light or vision.

Happy Medium - A cheerful woman who can see the future. She wears a silk turban and satin gown. She shows the children a vision of Earth through her crystal ball. She doesn't like showing unpleasant things, but the Mrs. W's insist the children see what they are up against.

Man with the Red Eyes - A robot-like person on Camazotz. He tries to hypnotize Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin in the CENTRAL Central Intelligence building. This Man, like everyone on Camazotz, is completely controlled by IT.

Mrs. Murry - Meg's mother and a biologist. She works from a lab in their home. She is a brilliant scientist and a loving mother. She even cooks meals for her family on her Bunsen burner. She also writes loving letters to her missing husband every night.

Mr. Jenkins - Meg's cold high school principal. He calls her "belligerent and uncooperative." He also suggests that her family is ignoring the truth about Mr. Murry's disappearance.

Mrs. Buncombe - The wife of the police officer in Meg's hometown. Twelve of her bed-sheets are stolen at the beginning of the story.

Sandy and Dennys Murry - Meg's ten-year-old twin brothers. They are athletic and popular. They offer to fight bullies who make fun of Charles Wallace. The twins do not go on the space adventure with Meg and Charles Wallace.

Images for kids

Hardcover art by Leo and Diane Dillon, showing the "Mrs Ws".
Current book cover art (2007) by Taeeun Yoo, showing the Mrs Ws (at the left) and the children at the CENTRAL Central Intelligence building (at the right).
From left: David Dorfman as Charles Wallace Murry, Katie Stuart as Meg Murry, and Gregory Smith as Calvin O'Keefe on the planet Uriel