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A review by theanitaalvarez
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
3.0
From this book, I really liked the message of “everyone’s important”. And I think it’s conveyed very well in the whole story. Charles Wallace’s health is as important as a whole planet, and his farandole are, therefore, incredibly important, even if they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The story begins some time after A Wrinkle in Time, with Meg firmly installed in High School and appearing to be having a better time there. Charles Wallace, however, is not faring well in school. He’s constantly bullied by other kids and the school’s principal does basically nothing. He’s Mr. Jenkins, the principal that Meg used to fight when she was younger. Despite all of Meg’s attempts, Mr. Jenkins doesn’t seem to be willing to create a non-bully policy for his school.
(*I want to recognize here the fact that Madeleine L’Engle was talking about bullying long before it became a household concept. And it not only portrays the kid suffering from it, but also the attitude the authorities used to take until some years ago: “just learn not to be different”).
The Murrys are pretty worried about Charles Wallace, who besides his being bullied, is also looking horrible. Mrs. Murry has been investigating different diseases and has come to the conclusion that what’s wrong are Charles Wallace’s farandole, which are within mitochondria, deep inside her son’s cells. And even if we’re talking about Little more than particles, they could make poor Charles Wallace die.
In a way, it’s as if farandolae are people, and Charles Wallace is their planet. It’s even stated so in the novel. Of course, this means an obvious parallel between the importance of every little farandole and people in our land. Every life is important for the well being of our system, and we cannot alter that.
Of course, Meg gets really worried about her baby brother. So, when an alien creature offers to help, she accepts without asking much. And that leads her to a journey that allows her to discover (once more) the powers of love and the importance of everyone around her, even Mr. Jenkins.
I’ll add a few lines to say that I’m very much in love with the idea of Calvin/Meg. It was greatly shown in the novel, especially how much the two of them lean on each other. That ship sails itself, almost. I’ve always liked when couples help each other to become better people, and to push their boundaries. That’s the case for Calvin and Meg. My favorite scene in the novel was when Meg was trying to find a nice memory about Mr. Jenkins, but couldn’t find any, so Calvin told him a story that happened to him with the teacher. It was sweet and shows Calvin’s character so very adorably.
It’s a nice book overall, it allows for a lot of conversations with children (a good plus in children’s lit) and tries to give a good image of the universe, using a smaller scale to convey the idea of parts working together. A good and easy read, so it’s a yay!
The story begins some time after A Wrinkle in Time, with Meg firmly installed in High School and appearing to be having a better time there. Charles Wallace, however, is not faring well in school. He’s constantly bullied by other kids and the school’s principal does basically nothing. He’s Mr. Jenkins, the principal that Meg used to fight when she was younger. Despite all of Meg’s attempts, Mr. Jenkins doesn’t seem to be willing to create a non-bully policy for his school.
(*I want to recognize here the fact that Madeleine L’Engle was talking about bullying long before it became a household concept. And it not only portrays the kid suffering from it, but also the attitude the authorities used to take until some years ago: “just learn not to be different”).
The Murrys are pretty worried about Charles Wallace, who besides his being bullied, is also looking horrible. Mrs. Murry has been investigating different diseases and has come to the conclusion that what’s wrong are Charles Wallace’s farandole, which are within mitochondria, deep inside her son’s cells. And even if we’re talking about Little more than particles, they could make poor Charles Wallace die.
In a way, it’s as if farandolae are people, and Charles Wallace is their planet. It’s even stated so in the novel. Of course, this means an obvious parallel between the importance of every little farandole and people in our land. Every life is important for the well being of our system, and we cannot alter that.
Of course, Meg gets really worried about her baby brother. So, when an alien creature offers to help, she accepts without asking much. And that leads her to a journey that allows her to discover (once more) the powers of love and the importance of everyone around her, even Mr. Jenkins.
I’ll add a few lines to say that I’m very much in love with the idea of Calvin/Meg. It was greatly shown in the novel, especially how much the two of them lean on each other. That ship sails itself, almost. I’ve always liked when couples help each other to become better people, and to push their boundaries. That’s the case for Calvin and Meg. My favorite scene in the novel was when Meg was trying to find a nice memory about Mr. Jenkins, but couldn’t find any, so Calvin told him a story that happened to him with the teacher. It was sweet and shows Calvin’s character so very adorably.
It’s a nice book overall, it allows for a lot of conversations with children (a good plus in children’s lit) and tries to give a good image of the universe, using a smaller scale to convey the idea of parts working together. A good and easy read, so it’s a yay!