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A review by ralovesbooks
Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of a Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters by Charlotte Jones Voiklis, Lena Roy
4.0
Recommended!
Becoming Madeleine is a biography aimed toward middle grade readers, or between the ages of 8-12, written by Madeleine's granddaughters, Charlotte and Léna. The "action" of the book starts with background information on Madeleine's parents and concludes at the publication of A Wrinkle in Time; the authors also include more personal notes at the beginning and end of the book. I thought they did a great job setting the context of the United States at war and how disorienting it was for Madeleine to move around so much as a child. The best parts of this book are the many photos, scanned letters, and excerpts from Madeleine's journals. I have read so many of Madeleine's memoirs that none of the events in this book were new to me. I actually found it comforting when the authors quoted her and I saw the familiar turns of phrase. The most delightful parts for me were the snippets from her journals, like when she writes as a child, "I have made a sort of promise to myself saying that I will not read trash books." HA! I really hope young readers read this book, develop deep affection for childhood/adolescent Madeleine, and then go on to read and love her work.
Becoming Madeleine is a biography aimed toward middle grade readers, or between the ages of 8-12, written by Madeleine's granddaughters, Charlotte and Léna. The "action" of the book starts with background information on Madeleine's parents and concludes at the publication of A Wrinkle in Time; the authors also include more personal notes at the beginning and end of the book. I thought they did a great job setting the context of the United States at war and how disorienting it was for Madeleine to move around so much as a child. The best parts of this book are the many photos, scanned letters, and excerpts from Madeleine's journals. I have read so many of Madeleine's memoirs that none of the events in this book were new to me. I actually found it comforting when the authors quoted her and I saw the familiar turns of phrase. The most delightful parts for me were the snippets from her journals, like when she writes as a child, "I have made a sort of promise to myself saying that I will not read trash books." HA! I really hope young readers read this book, develop deep affection for childhood/adolescent Madeleine, and then go on to read and love her work.