Time Quintet

[OrganicJen]

Are any or all of the 4 other books after A Wrinkle in Time any good? My son is really enjoying A Wrinkle in Time but we wonder if it's worth reading the others or not. He's finally enjoying reading again so I don't want to risk him reading anything not well reviewed at this point...things are precarious with reading right now LOL.

[GeoKitty]

Yes. 😊 my daughter loves them. The second one is, in my opinion, the least good.

[Lori D.]

Those who enjoy #1, will very likely enjoy #2. After that, the series changes in ways that may not be as strong of a fit, with #3 written for an older audience, while #4 and #5 are completely unrelated to the first 3 books, or to each other.

 

#1 - A Wrinkle in Time

#2 - Wind in the Door = very similar to Wrinkle in Time in story, writing style, and interest level (gr. 5-8)

#3 - Swiftly Tilting Planet = more complex than #1 and #2, at a higher age level for interest (gr. 8+); also, the series fast forwards about 10-12 years, so the main characters are no longer kids, but adults and an older high school teen; still well-written and an interesting concept

 

#4 - Many Waters = the writing quality drops quite a bit, and the series centers on different main characters (the twin siblings of the main characters in #1 and #2), and the storyline and tone are very different from the first 3, with very little of the science aspect of #1 and #2, and faulty Christian theology  (SPOILER ALERT:  I strongly dislike the premise and alternative theology behind this one -- the characters go back to the Biblical events just before Noah and the Ark where many women are having s*x with fallen angels (L'Engle's interpretation of the Nephilim in Genesis 6:5) and getting pregnant, which is the reason for the coming worldwide flood of judgment; at the end of the book, the one teen girl who chose not to be involved in this activity receives the promise of salvation at the time of the flood by being taken up to heaven by God, in the way Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven without death  :ack2: )

 

#5 - An Acceptable Time = did not read, but some of the 2-star Amazon reviews suggest that this one is also not as well-written, and goes even farther afield from the first 3 books with a completely new character going back into Pre-History times, with the science aspect only vaguely referred to, and the Christian aspects inserted unnaturally

 

 

What age/grade level of reading is your DS? We might be able to suggest some other well-written works. A few off the top of my head that are short, well-written, and in the similar age/grade range as A Wrinkle in Time:

- City of Ember (duPrau)

- Below the Root (Snyder)

- Knight's Castle (Eager)

- Diamond in the Window (Langton)

- Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt)

- My Side of the Mountain (George)

 

Edited October 4, 2017 by Lori D.

[OrganicJen]

Thanks so much!  This child is a teenager but has learning challenges and is quite immature so he reads at a lower level.  He loves A Wrinkle in Time and has loved the Wimpy Kid books, War comes to Willy Freeman, Holes, Wonder, Shiloh, and in general seems to enjoy books that are historical fiction with kids as the main characters.  He says he doesn't like vampires and witches etc.  

[rebbyribs]

I loved A Wrinkle in Time but didn't like the other books in the series quite as much.  However, I also really enjoyed L'Engle's books about the Austin family:  Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night, and A Ring of Endless Light as well as The Arm of the Starfish, which is not about the Austin family, but Calvin and Meg's daughter.

[three4me]

I loved A Wrinkle in Time but didn't like the other books in the series quite as much. However, I also really enjoyed L'Engle's books about the Austin family: Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night, and A Ring of Endless Light as well as The Arm of the Starfish, which is not about the Austin family, but Calvin and Meg's daughter.

Just want to second this. Not quite as fantasy as A Wrinkle In Time, but very similar in story telling and great for a high schooler.

[Guest]

My favourite of all of them is Swiftly Turning Planet. Some people don't like it but I have no idea why. There are a few little problems with the time sequence since it was written before Many Waters and takes place after, but they are of the "Oops! Where's my blue pencil." vafriety to anyone who has ever written, even very poorly and just for fun, like Fortinbras is a black lab in one book and a mutt in another kind of oopsies.

 

But you don't even notice them once you get into the story. The only spoiler I'm comfortable posting is that you will never look at horrible women like Calvin O'Keefe's mother the same way after you read it.

 

Neither will your children.

 

I respectfully disagree with the previous poster about the age level. I read this aloud to my kids.

 

If you are a Citizen of the United States of America, please, for the sake of your God and all that is good in the universe, please read this book; it is so timely and relevant to the issues our nation is grappling with.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Guest

[OrganicJen]

Wow it sounds worth a read , thanks!!

[Michael12]

You have no idea why anyone wouldn't like A Swiftly Tilting Planet? Let me offer just one example:

 

It takes literally 150 pages (out of 278) for our heroes to figure out "with a startled flash of comprehension" that there's - gosh! - a connection between various people named Madoc, Madog, Maddok, Maddox, Mad Dog, Branwen, Brandon, Bran, Zyll, Zylle, Zillo, Zillah, Zillie, Beezie (B.Z.), Branzillo. And then it's on p.195 that we get "Certainly the name Zillie must have some connection with Madoc's Zyll, and Ritchie Llawcae's Zylle..."

 

The appeal of L'Engle's books (for me, at least) was that they were about really smart people. I didn't find the above nonsense remotely believable. When I first read this book, the series was just a trilogy, and this was unquestionably the weakest of the three.

 

I'll add my endorsement of A Ring of Endless Light - a really wonderful book, as good as A Wrinkle.

 

[Guest]

 

You have no idea why anyone wouldn't like A Swiftly Tilting Planet? Let me offer just one example:

 

It takes literally 150 pages (out of 278) for our heroes to figure out "with a startled flash of comprehension" that there's - gosh! - a connection between various people named Madoc, Madog, Maddok, Maddox, Mad Dog, Branwen, Brandon, Bran, Zyll, Zylle, Zillo, Zillah, Zillie, Beezie (B.Z.), Branzillo. And then it's on p.195 that we get "Certainly the name Zillie must have some connection with Madoc's Zyll, and Ritchie Llawcae's Zylle..."

 

The appeal of L'Engle's books (for me, at least) was that they were about really smart people. I didn't find the above nonsense remotely believable. When I first read this book, the series was just a trilogy, and this was unquestionably the weakest of the three.

 

I'll add my endorsement of A Ring of Endless Light - a really wonderful book, as good as A Wrinkle.

 

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

 

That's exactly what I meant by "I can't find my blue pencil" stuff; I don't think she intended to write a quintet or even a trilogy, but when Wrinkle in Time turned out to be a success, she wrote a sequel. Swiftly Turning Planet reads more like an outline or a rough draft, sort of like LIW's The First Four Years, but much less obvious to non-writers.

 

My guess is that she intended to finish it but then had some sort of financial crisis. The publishing industry can get pretty harsh, so I just don't like to think about Madeleine L'Engle being blackmailed or anything. It takes away from my enjoyment of her work.

 

Since your kid is special needs, if you think that would bother him, you might want to talk about how authors work and depending on his interests and capabilities, do some role playing even if it's just as simple as "Let's see who can write the longest and funniest run-on sentence!" just to give him some perspective.

 

If that sort of thing is going to bother you, then please just skip it and find another book. Don't ruin it for your child when he finds it at a garage sale or something, 'kay?

 

Another criticism of the book (and also An Acceptable Time and I think there are some other books about the Murry family that our library doesn't have) is that Meg grows up to be a MOM (Mother of Many) instead of something more lucrative or high-status. I'm not sure if she homeschools, but it wouldn't surprise me from the way Polly describes her in AN Acceptable Time.

 

This is WTM, so I'm assuming that won't bother you, but I've been away and life happens and the culture of the board have might changed.

 

I don't have an SN kid, but I have tutored reluctant/late readers and taken a few brief forays into the world of adult literacy tutoring. I commend you for taking the time to focus on quality literature instead of resorting to lists of nonsense syllables, etc.

 

If he can read, even very slowly, his world is so much bigger. He has an escape from the stress of this period of history and nobody, absolutely nobody, will have the power to define him by his disability because he will know that there is so much more to life than that.

 

Thanks again, Michael. Iggernut redneck toofless snowflake saying adios and logging off to go scrub you toilet fifty cent now.

 

Peace out and screw this class/civil/culture war poopycocky anyway. We've already watched that on TV or had to read it to pass a test and get our degree or something anyway.

 

Can we please do something different this time? Like what Michael and I just did?

[Guest]

Another piece of info that might be useful to you:

 

There is Christian content, but I don't think you'll find it annoying if you're secular. A quick skim should be enough if you don't normally preread your kid's books, but it sounds like he's a slow enough reader that you haven't thrown up your hands and said, "I just can't keep up with him." yet.

 

And another spoiler because I just can't resist; it just feels so good to scream at the top of my lungs:

 

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/17745-at-tara-in-this-fateful-hour-i-place-all-heaven

 

 

and if he's a slow reader, it will be his forever by the time he finishes the book and might well replace long strings of expletives in his vocabulary in later life. ;)

 

Okay, I sound like an astroturfer now. If Michael hadn't here to cyberbabysit me, SWB would probably have blocked my IP by now, lol.

 

ETA: Oops. Hope nobody saw that. Code-switching problems and sleep deprivation. Sorry, SWB, just click the link, Jen and lurkers, and it would have been better if I could actually have said "With OrganicJen's ds at this fateful hour" but you get the point and not.worth.the.risk.of.patent.trolls.

 

:lol: :rotfl: :lol:

Edited October 6, 2017 by Guest

[OrganicJen]

Another piece of info that might be useful to you:

 

There is Christian content, but I don't think you'll find it annoying if you're secular. A quick skim should be enough if you don't normally preread your kid's books, but it sounds like he's a slow enough reader that you haven't thrown up your hands and said, "I just can't keep up with him." yet.

 

And another spoiler because I just can't resist; it just feels so good to scream at the top of my lungs:

 

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/17745-at-tara-in-this-fateful-hour-i-place-all-heaven

 

 

and if he's a slow reader, it will be his forever by the time he finishes the book and might well replace long strings of expletives in his vocabulary in later life. ;)

 

Okay, I sound like an astroturfer now. If Michael hadn't here to cyberbabysit me, SWB would probably have blocked my IP by now, lol.

 

ETA: Oops. Hope nobody saw that. Code-switching problems and sleep deprivation. Sorry, SWB, just click the link, Jen and lurkers, and it would have been better if I could actually have said "With OrganicJen's ds at this fateful hour" but you get the point and not.worth.the.risk.of.patent.trolls.

 

:lol: :rotfl: :lol:

Thanks again!!