Author: Madeleine L'Engle

[Luanne]

I am currently reading A Wrinkle in Time. I am really enjoying this book and I have A Wind in the Door waiting next. Have any of you (or your children) read this author's book? Are there any of her other books you particularly enjoyed?

[Plaid Dad]

I read and enjoyed her books as a child, although I haven't re-read them as an adult, so I can't say how I'd feel about them now.

There is some controversy over her religious views. She was Episcopalian but held some unorthodox theological opinions that come through to a certain extent in her books. See A Landscape with Dragons by Michael O'Brien for a critical view of her work. On the other hand, some readers find her writing too overtly religious, so this is something you would definitely need to judge for yourself.

[momto2Cs]

L'Engle is one of my all-time favorite authors. I think I have read just about everything she has written! The Wrinkle In Time series is good, as is the Austins series.

For adult/young adult readers, try The Small Rain and A Severed Wasp. Her journals are also enjoyable.

[WTMindy]

as a child. I read the series to my kids recently and we all loved them. If you like those, you might like The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper.

[Lori D.]

As a family, we have enjoyed her short book, "Dance in the Desert", a lovely, imaginative tale of the night that all the animals of the desert came and danced for toddler Jesus, as Jesus and his family were fleeing Israel to Egypt.

We used her book "The Glorious Impossible" as a springboard for daily devotions for the month of December. The book is L'Engle's retelling of key moments out of the gospels of Jesus' life, illustrated with paintings by Giotto.

My husband has found her non-fiction book "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art" to be interesting, though he doesn't agree with everything in the book.

As a teenager, I enjoyed these books by L'Engle:
- Wrinkle in Time
- A Wind in the Door
- A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Those 3 are part of a 4 book series. I did NOT like and do NOT recommend "Many Waters", the 4th book -- not well written, weird sexuality, blatantly non-Biblical theology. I read a few of her other books, but didn't care for any of them. I have two teenage boys who, other than "Dance in the Desert" do not like any books by L'Engle. So, for what it's worth, a mixed response here for various L'Engle books.

Here is a 1979 Christianity Today interview with L'Engle:
http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2007/septemberweb-only/136-52.0.html

Here is a 2007 Christianity Today tribute to L'Engle by her friend, Christian poet Luci Shaw:
http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2007/septemberweb-only/138-52.0.html


Another book to consider is Ursula LeGuin's "Tombs of Atuan", for age 13 and up. It is the middle book of a 4 book series. Tombs of Atuan is a beautiful picture of Christ bringing us out of the kingdom of darkness into light. The first and third books (Wizard of Earthsea, and, The Farthest Shore) are more new age in theme (yin/yang -- must accept the light and dark sides of yourself to be healed), but are very well written. The fourth book was written much later, and is for adults only; well written, but somewhat despairing in tone.


Other thought-provoking sci-fi books:
- City of Ember; People of Sparks (Du Prau) -- age 10-11 and up
- A Canticle for Lebowitz (Miller) -- age 15 and up


Warm regards, Lori D.

[Mama Lynx]

"A Swiftly Tilting Planet" was one of my very favorite books, as a young teen. I also highly recommend "A Severed Wasp."

I do not recommend "Many Waters."

Like Lori D., I also recommend Ursula K. LeGuin. Lori, I never read the fourth book of the series. I had not known that she had continued the series until I stumbled across the 5th book. The 5th book was definitely for adults, but not as dark and despairing as the 4th.

[dangermom]

I loved her books as a teen. I tried to get them all. Some of them do get kind of weird, though. Some are quite realistic, some are a bit thriller-y (exotic international plots and so on) but especially in later years she did a lot of fantasy. Her books do tend to sound dated.

[Lori D.]

I haven't read #5 yet -- or #6! Both of those look like interesting; #5 looks like it's a short story collection, while #6 is another novel, but is based around a different character.

I didn't mean to make #4 (which is called "Tehanu") sound like it wasn't worthwhile. I actually think it is a very powerful and complex book -- but the main character is now in middle age, and is wrestling with some intense and heavy issues. As an adult, I think you would appreciate the richness of the character's "midlife crisis". BTW -- I noticed there are used copies of "Tehanu" for sale at amazon.com used books for as low as $2.09 (plus shipping).

Here's a new book you might really enjoy: "Aurelia's Colors" by Jeffrey Overstreet. It is not your standard fantasy, as it is a bit more complex; it's the first of a planned 3 or 4 book series.

Here is "Aurelia's Colors" at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Auralias-Colors-Auralia-Thread-1/dp/1400072522/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203201860&sr=1-1

And here's a free pdf file to read the first chapter of Aurelia's Colors:
http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm

By the way, I can also "highly* recommend Jeffrey Overstreet's other new book about film (it's a rather personal journey of how certain films have changed and influenced him, and how he became a film critic). It's called: "Through a Screen Darkly."

Here's a free dpf file soo you can read chapter 1:
http://www.infuzemag.com/previews/previews/through_a_screen_darkly/


Enjoy! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Kris]

A Wrinkle in Time scared me silly when I was a kid -- and I loved it!

I was *so* disappointed when I brought a copy home for The Kid and he kind of shrugged it off. I'm not sure he even read it. :-(

[Mommyfaithe]

I really enjoyed the 1rst 3 books in the Wrinke series...but the 4th..oy vey!!!
Wierd and nasty...
My oldest dd really liked her first unicorn series(think thats the name.)

Anyway, her theology is a bit wierd, but the stories are fun...cause the kids to think about some deep issues and make fun read aloud time.
Faithe