Madeleine L'Engle wrote over two dozen books of poetry, plays, memoirs, and fiction and is credited with bringing science fiction into mainstream young-adult fiction. Often compared to C.S. Lewis, she used science and Christianity to create stories of spiritual quests, battles between good and evil, and an omnipresent God of Love.

Her Newbery Award winning novel A Wrinkle in Time (1962) is a blend of science fiction, fantasy, and coming-of-age tale. The awkward and intense Meg Murry must travel in time and space to fight "the black thing" on a planet of utter conformity, ruled by an emotionless brain. L'Engle asked all the cosmic questions about morality, religion, love, and identity, and the book found international popularity with children and critics.

Further Reading:

Hettinga, Donald R. Presenting Madeleine L'Engle. New York, Twayne, 1993.

L'Engle, Madeleine. The Crosswicks Journal (A Circle of Quiet; The Summer of the Great-Grandmother; and The Irrational Season). San Francisco, Harper, 1997.