An Acceptable Time facts for kids

Quick facts for kids An Acceptable Time first edition
Author	Madeleine L'Engle
Cover artist	(hardback)
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Time Quintet, Polly O'Keefe
Genre	Young adult, Science fiction novel
Publisher	Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Publication date	October 1, 1989
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	343 pp
ISBN	0-374-30027-5
OCLC	20191102
Dewey Decimal	[E] 20
LC Class	PZ7.L5385 Ac 1989
Preceded by	Many Waters

An Acceptable Time is a science fiction novel for young adults. It was written by Madeleine L'Engle and published in 1989. This book is the last one to feature the character Polly O'Keefe.

Polly is also known as Poly in earlier books like The Arm of the Starfish and Dragons in the Waters. The book is part of L'Engle's famous Time Quintet series. It links Polly's adventures to those of her parents, Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe. Their stories happened a generation before Polly's. The book's title comes from a Bible verse, Psalm 69:13.

What is An Acceptable Time About?

Polly's Unexpected Journey

Polly O'Keefe is happy to be away from her big family. She is spending the autumn with her grandparents, Dr. Kate Murry and Dr. Alex Murry. They are teaching her a lot about science. Polly is also sad because she lost her good friend, Maximiliana Sebastiane Horne.

Soon, strange things begin to happen. Zachary Gray arrives unexpectedly. He is a charming but troubled college student. Polly met him in Greece and dated him in Cyprus the year before.

Meeting People from the Past

While walking near her grandparents' Connecticut home, Polly meets some ancient people. They are druids named Karralys and Anaral, and a warrior named Tav. These people lived in the area about three thousand years ago!

Polly soon learns she is not the first person from her time to meet these ancient neighbors. Bishop Nason Colubra, a family friend's brother, has been studying old carvings on rocks nearby. These carvings are from Karralys's time.

A Dangerous Time Warp

Bishop Colubra has also met Anaral's tribe, the People of the Wind. He is worried about Polly. He feels responsible for her possibly getting caught in a tesseract. A tesseract is like a wrinkle in time, where different time periods meet.

The Murrys and Colubras try to keep Polly safe from the past. But even though she tries to follow their rules, she keeps running into Anaral and the others. Karralys and Tav used to live in ancient Britain. They crossed the ocean and now live with the People of the Wind.

A Sacrifice and a Rescue

On Samhain (an ancient festival), Polly feels drawn to her grandparents' indoor swimming pool. This place was sacred to Karralys, Anaral, and their tribe. Suddenly, Polly is pulled into the past.

She learns that Tav wants to offer Polly in a special ritual. He believes this will stop a terrible drought. People from another tribe, the People Across the Lake, are already raiding because of the drought. Karralys sends Polly back home.

Zachary's Risky Plan

Zachary is very curious about the ancient people. He has a serious heart condition and doesn't expect to live much longer. He thinks the ancient druids might have a way to heal him.

Zachary convinces Polly to go back to the past with him. They go through a time gate and get stuck in ancient Connecticut. Now, Polly's grandparents and Dr. Louise Colubra can't help them. Tav changes his mind about Polly. Her main danger is not from the People of the Wind, but from their neighbors across the lake, where the drought is worse.

Betrayal and Forgiveness

The People Across the Lake raid again. They leave behind two injured men, Klep and Brown Earth. Klep is expected to be their future leader. He learns about love from Polly. Brown Earth convinces Zachary to cross the lake with him at night.

Tynak, the leader of the People Across the Lake, promises to heal Zachary's heart. But only if Zachary helps bring Polly to them. Zach agrees and helps in another raid to capture Polly. Polly tries to tell Zach that they plan a dangerous ritual with her blood. But he refuses to believe it.

Polly escapes, but she goes back for Zachary. In the end, Polly's kindness and love, along with the timely return of rain, show a better way. The two tribes agree to unite and help each other. Zachary feels bad for betraying Polly. His heart gets better before they return to their own time. When they get back, Polly decides she and Zachary should not see each other anymore.

Who are the Main Characters?

The Murry Family

• Alexander Murry — Polly's grandfather. He is an astrophysicist, someone who studies space and stars. He works on his theories about the tesseract, which is a way to travel through space and time. He has arthritis and sometimes rides a tractor.
• Katherine Murry — Polly's grandmother. She is a microbiologist, meaning she studies tiny living things. She works from her home lab. She uses her mind to do "thought experiments" for her work.

Polly and Her Friends

• Polly O'Keefe — The oldest child of Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe. Her full name is Polyhymnia, named by her godfather. She is tall, thin, and has red hair like her father. Polly is good at learning languages. This helps her talk to the ancient tribes.
• Dr. Louise Colubra — The Murry family's doctor and a close friend. She is usually skeptical and doesn't believe in magical explanations. She is Bishop Nason Colubra's sister.
• Bishop Nason Colubra — Louise's brother. He is a retired bishop and an amateur archaeologist. He studies ancient writings called Ogam. He was the first to meet the time-traveling druids before the book begins.

Zachary Gray

• Zachary Gray — A college student who sometimes attends classes. He works in a law office where he learns about Ogam writing. This helps him talk to the ancient tribes. Zachary grew up with a lot of money but not much love. He often struggles between doing good and causing trouble. He has a serious heart condition. This makes him focus on saving himself above everything else. Zachary is charming and exciting. He brings out the best in Polly, but she can't change him.