A Wind in the Door: Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet

"The chief characters of A Wrinkle in Time return in a complex sci-fi / fantasy adventure that is both similar and superior . . . The action is precipitated by Charles Wallace's failing health and his difficulties in being accepted by other children now that he's started school. Meg and O'Keefe are enlisted again to fight evil, this time in the shapre of Echthroi ('Light snuffers. Planet darkeners. The dragons. The worms. Those who hate.'), which are spreading through the universe. Guided by their mysterious teacher Blajeny and accompanied by a myriad-eyed, multiwinged cherubim named Proginoskes, Meg, Calivn and Mr. Jenkins (the crusty, unimaginitive school principal with whom Meg ha shad difficulty in the past) must pass three ordeals in order to save Charles Wallace from the Echthroi. Once again it is love that enables Meg to overcome evil, and L'Engle reaches mystical ecstasy in describing Meg's apprehension of the beauty and unity of the universe. Complex concepts of space and time are handled well for youn greaders, and the author creates a suspensful, life-and-death drama that is believably of cosmic significance. Complex and rich in mystical religious insights, this is breathtaking entertainment." --Starred, School Library Journal