I read this for the "1962 Club".
This book challenge takes place twice a year and concentrates on one year and one year only. I call it "Read theYear Club". This time, 1962 was picked. For more information, see Simon @ Stuck in a Book.
I had already read seven books from that year (see here) and this was one we had in the house, one of my boys must have read it ages ago.
Fantasy or science-fictions are not really my genre but I find some from time to time that are still quite nice.
As was this one. I couldn't even tell what the attraction is to this book since the sci-fi is totally made up, kids are there to save the world (I usually detest both those parts in stories) but it was a nice read.
The style is certainly part of it, the way the characters are described, the interaction between them. There are many likeable people in this story.
Will I read the other books of the series? Probably not. But I am glad I read this one.
From the back cover:
"It is a dark and stormy night. Meg Murry; her small brother, Charles Wallace; and their mother are in the kitchen for a midnight snack when a most disturbing visitor arrives. 'Wild nights are my glory,' the unearthly stranger tells them. 'I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.' Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?"
And here is Simon's list with all the books from 1962 other bloggers read.
My fifth grade teacher read this one to our class...and I was just the right age for it and totally loved it. (Plus, she did the narration and voices really well.) :D
ReplyDeleteI can imagine that it was great. I think my son got introduced to it by his very great third grade teacher.
DeleteI read this a looooooong time ago, so I can't recall much about it apart from the fact I enjoyed it. I do like a bit of fantasy now and again, though!
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm not surprised. If I liked it despite it not being my genre, you must have loved it. I am glad I picked it for my 1962 read.
DeleteAn excellent choice! I know I avoided it in the school library because I thought it was SF but ended up liking it. And the beginning is very non-threatening to readers who dislike this genre, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the theme is merely to save the world but also for Meg to realize she is not a freak and to gain self-confidence -- and a friend. I don't think it was as well known when L'Engle wrote this that girls needed to develop math and science skills but I was very conscious that Meg was comfortable with these subjects and I was not! I will say that And Both Were Young is my favorite of her books and I think you would love that one if you ever encounter it.
Thanks for that, Constance. Yes, you are right with your description. I didn't dislike math but always preferred languages. I was quite good in math, as well, and can still help students who struggle with it but I wouldn't have chosen it. I had a bigger problem with people expecting girls in general to get married and then have children. But you describe this very well.
DeleteAnd yes, the beginning is absolutely "normal", so that might be a reason why I liked it.
If the book had elements you detest, it's quite impressive you still found it a nice enough read! I'm glad you could enjoy at least parts of it. I agree with Constance that if you prefer realistic books, And Both Were Young is a good one to try.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lory. I just don't believe in all that sci-fi stuff and can only shake my head at ideas I find in those books.
DeleteBut no, this is quite a good story in itself, well written. So, I might have a look for And Both Were Young.
I love scifi, including classic scifi, but this one never grabbed me either
ReplyDeleteDid you read it, Emma? It's a children's book and it wasn't as outrageous as some of the other sci-fi books that I usually don't like.
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