Book Reviews: Classics Old and New (part 3)

Parts 1 of this series is here; Part 2 is here.

Still Classic?

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle, 1962

A Wrinkle in Time has always been one of my favourite books. Although I have re-read it a few times over the years, I approached it for this series with some trepidation, a bit concerned that I might no longer recommend it to young readers. I needn't have worried. The book - continually in print since it was first published in 1962 - was reissued last year in a special 50th anniversary printing, and with very good reason.

From the moment we begin, we are drawn to Meg - confused and frustrated, feeling like she can't do anything right. Scrappily defending her odd younger brother. Clinging to her mother's calm faith that her father will return. Feeling destined to never fit in.

And as we're identifying with Meg, the mystery begins to unfold. Who is this strange Mrs. Whatsit, and how does she know a secret about Meg's mother, one that even Meg didn't know? Family bonds, the pressures of conformity, and the shifting landscape of our own self-esteem quickly become entwined with time travel, the limits of our known world, and the battle against the nameless evil, fascism. The language feels fresh, the characters alive. We follow them into a fantasy, only to learn a basic truth: that we must find our own moral courage, and we must witness the power of love. This book is timeless.

Where to go from there? There are the other four books in L'Engle's "Time Quintet": A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. I haven't read them all, but young people love series, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend anything by L'Engle. However, I would recommend following up in a different direction.

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Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, The Graphic Novel, adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson, 2012

Madeleine L'Engle died in 2007, so she didn't live to see her greatest work thrive in a new format. I suspect she would have loved it. The award-winning author and illustrator Hope Larson has brilliantly adapted A Wrinkle in Time into a graphic novel. It's faster-paced than the original, as you might expect, but true to both plot and feel.

A reviewer at io9.com calls it "a love letter" to the original.

On HuffPo, Hope Larson writes about why she took on the project and what was involved.

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And finally, I want to (again) mention a contemporary children's novel that pays homage to A Wrinkle in Time: Rebecca Stead's 2009 When You Reach Me.

Miranda, the protagonist of When You Reach Me, is obsessed with A Wrinkle in Time. She carries the book with her and reads it again and again. Perhaps that helps prepare her for what is to come. This book is a daring meld of a realistic story with something fantastical and other-worldly. It is a treasure.

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- Contributed by Laura Kaminker, CYA 2012-13 Co-chair, originally posted on wmtc.

Book Review: Binky Under Pressure

Spires, Ashley. Binky Under Pressure. Toronto: Kids Can Press Ltd., 2011.

When presented with a stack of newly published children’s books donated to the CYA, I was elated to find Binky Under Pressure among the lot.  Who could resist this adorable little space kitty?  Binky Under Pressure is Ashley Spires’ charming third contribution to her Binky Adventure series.  In this story, Binky the Space Cat, certified member of F.U.R.S.T. (Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel), meets a new kitty, Gracie, that his humans have taken in for adoption.  Binky knows that Gracie isn’t just a normal, everyday Space Cat like himself, but he can’t quite put his paw on what’s different about her. All he knows is that he has to figure out why she’s in his house/terrestrial space station and, more importantly, how to make her leave!

Spires book reads like a graphic novel, complete with her own very charismatic illustrations.  These set the book apart from other more traditional children’s picture books, and draw the reader in immediately with their variously sized frames and dusky palette.  The style of the book will certainly appeal to the 7-10 age bracket for which the book is intended.  As always, Binky is irresistibly funny, and Spires’ deadpan humour combines with her obvious love of cats (not to mention her intense dislike of wasps and bees) to bring the feline protagonists alive, and make the reader question what their own little fuzzbutts at home are really thinking.  Binky Under Pressure is a perfect treat and would be a welcome addition to any childhood library.

-Laura Chadwick, CYA Member