A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

by Madeleine L'Engle

Other authorsHope Larson (Illustrator)
Paperback, 2015

Call number

J GRAPHIC NOVEL LEN

Genres

Publication

Square Fish (2015), Edition: Reissue, 416 pages

Description

A graphic novel adaptation of the classic tale in which Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

User reviews

LibraryThing member rjmoir
A adept adaption of the beloved Madeleine L'Engle classic, Hope Larson's. The character designs retain all their gawky glory; Larson does not give in to the temptation to mold awkward Meg or big eared Calvin into standard molds of attractiveness. The use of chunky ink lines, and a limited palette
Show More
of black, white and a single shade of blue, create both an etheric and a solid atmosphere.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Dauntless
Nice graphic novel adaptation of L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
LibraryThing member zzshupinga
“A Wrinkle in Time.” A book that has been around for almost 50 years now and still has a powerful following. When you talk to folks that have read the book their eyes and faces light up with joy, as they recall the powerful story and characters of Meg, Charles, Calvin, Aunt Beast, the Red Eye
Show More
Man...and the rest of the beloved characters. You can almost see the characters come to life as people talk about the story and share their favorite parts of it. And as part of the celebration of its 50th anniversary Hope Larson brings her considerable talents to bring the characters to life in a graphic novel adaptation of this timeless story.

Hope Larson is one of my favorite artists/authors out there and she’s the perfect choice for creating this adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time.” In her first book, “Salamander Dreams,” she tells us a rather short story of growing up and finding where home is, but she layers deeper meaning within the well chosen words that will leave you pondering the story long after you’ve put it down. Her simplistic illustrations conveyed depth and life to the characters she created. Since I first read that book, I’ve eagerly read each new story that she’s put out. She brings the same passion and depth that she’s created in her own stories, to this adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

Since most folks that read this adaptation are going to be familiar with the original story (and because I can’t hope to even begin to describe the story well to do it justice) I’m instead going to focus on the adaptation of the book. One of the great things, and most difficult things, about adaptations is you get to see a story from a different perspective as the author (or someone) choses which parts of the story to carry over into the new work. It isn’t an easy task as not everything can be included and you’re bound to leave off a bit of the story that was someone’s favorite or you try to capture everything and it just becomes a weird mashup that doesn’t work. But Hope has done an excellent job of capturing a lot of the depth of the novel and it’s characters in this 400 page adaptation. While there are things that are left out, Hope captures the essence of the characters and what makes them tick while they undertake this arduous journey to save not only Meg’s father, but themselves as well. Fans of the original story will delight in seeing their favorite scenes brought to life,while newcomers to the story will see the journey into worlds unknown. And everyone will want to pick up the original story to relive Madelieine L’Engle’s original stories.

Hope’s artwork is fantastic. It captures the essence of characters well, especially with Meg. We see her fear, her hopes, and her dreams brought to life on the page. We get a true sense of her humanity within the depictions. Her brother Charles is also well captured, with big eyes, depicting his almost other worldly nature. It is a bit off putting in some places because you realize he isn’t quite human...something more or something that wasn’t designed quite right. The other characters and depictions are well done as well, such as seeing mathematical equations depicted. Hope uses a two color toned system with a pale blue and black. while at first it might seem that it would hinder the story being told, I found that it actually enhanced it and created something greater. It helped create the sense of otherworldliness and the characters journey along their path. It really feels like we’ve left our world and gone somewhere else.

In short, this a powerful adaptation and fans of the original story and newcomers will all find something to enjoy. Because it is an adaptation I do recommend that folks read or reread the original at some point, to be able to create their own imagery of the story. But Hope’s adaptation definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf.

ARC provided by Gina at FirstSecond
Show Less
LibraryThing member clockwork-serenity
Meg’s father works on secret science projects involving space and time and he has been missing for a long time. Meg, her younger (and rather odd) brother Charles, and their friend Calvin go on a mission to find him with the help of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which. Together this group
Show More
travels the ‘verse in search of Meg and Charles father meanwhile learning about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

I had to read this book in grade school and I didn’t like it that much even though it was a Newbery Medal winner. Even though it is still not my favorite book I enjoyed it much more in graphic novel format. Having images made it much easier to understand the science fiction storyline that confused me in some parts as a kid. Be ready to suspend belief in reality while reading this book, it is true science fiction and fantasy for the younger reader. The illustrations were decent and it made for an obviously quicker read, while still reflecting the same exact story. I would easily recommend this version. A very good adaption of a classic title often required in school.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LibraryGirl11
A graphic retelling of L'Engle's scifi classic. Rather slow-moving, and I found the blue and grey-tone color scheme to be rather dull. Even the man with red eyes has blue eyes. More use of color would have made this graphic novel more effective.
LibraryThing member akmargie
Yes, all five stars. Mostly because I love Hope Larson's art and I think she did an incredible job rendering the iconic story in a visual medium without losing any of the original wonder and fantasy. Great from fans of the original old and new.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
I appreciate Hope Larson's effort at adapting this novel but I wonder if anyone involved in the project asked themselves why it should be done. A Wrinkle in Time is already a perfect story. Why does it need a graphic adaptation? Why mess with perfection? It's like remaking Casablanca. It's
Show More
superfluous.
Show Less
LibraryThing member aelizabethj
I don't know, this just didnt hold up to the original - the blue/black/white treatment was interesting but did leave something to be desired. Maggie enjoyed it though, enough to pickup the novel and read it, so a success.
LibraryThing member librarybrandy
A really great adaptation, and yet the book really loses a lot of its... magic, I guess, when the pacing is so much faster. On its own merits, 4 stars; in comparison to the original, 3.
LibraryThing member StefanieGeeks
I love this story and re-reading it as a graphic novel was a treat. I don't think it's a stand alone nor could it ever replace the original text but it's fun for fans none-the-less.
LibraryThing member District13
Beautiful GN edition of "A Wrinkle in Time". While I couldn't get into the novel itself, this GN edition made the story come alive for me.
LibraryThing member jessiejluna
A wonderful adaptation of a classic sci-fi for kids. Meg is looking for her dad and is assisted by her "moron" brother, intuitive neighbor friend and three old lady entities. They travel across dimensions to fight "IT" and bring peace to their families. The black/white/blue-scale of the
Show More
illustrations exactly match the tone of this fairly dark but whimsical novel. Also surprisingly light on text, with dialogue and some light narration by the protagonist carrying the story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kedwards1991
I've read a wrinkle in time and was excited to get a chance to look and this graphic novel because I was curious as to how it would be illustrated. However, it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I don't think the illustrations capture the detail of the characters which are the heart of the
Show More
story. Also, I didn't like that the graphic version relied mostly on dialogue to tell the story, which is too dull and lacking depth of the original. The illustrations don't make up for what's missing in the dialogue, which takes way from the greatness of the actual story. I think this novel would be good to possibly introduce a wrinkle in time so readers can get accustomed to the characters. However, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has read the original because it's a bit of a disappointment compared to the original story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MisMary
This is the story of Meg and Charles Wallace Murry and Calvin O’Keefe traveling through time and space to save the Murry’s father. The Murry’s father was a brilliant scientist who has been missing for a year. Meg and Charles Wallace meet three seemly crazy old ladies Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who,
Show More
and Mrs. Which. While on the way to their house they come across Calvin O’Keefe, a guy from Meg’s school, they take him along with them on their adventures. Mrs. Whatsit, Who, and Which turn out to be aliens from far off worlds and explain to the kids that there is a “Dark Thing” that is threating the universe. They claim the Dark Thing has already taken over many worlds and has imprisoned the Murry’s father. They also explain how to travel the universe quickly using a wrinkle in time, called tesseract, to jump around worlds. Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin and the Mrs. W’s travel to different worlds to try and find the Murry’s father. The children must go alone to world called Camazotz, a world that has already been taken over by the Dark Thing. This planet is a strange place where the people act like robots and get reprogramed if they deviate from what the Dark Thing, or It as it is called on Camazotz, or show any free will at all. The children go to confront the evil on the planet, which turns out to be a giant pulsating brain. Charles Wallace tries to use his supreme intelligence to fight the brain but fails and falls under the evil brain’s control. The children are lead to the Murry’s father and Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Murry barely make it off the planet, but Charles Wallace was left behind still under the control of It. Once off Camazotz Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Murry are reunited with the Mrs. W’s. They send Meg back to Camazotz alone to save Charles Wallace, telling her only that she has a weapon more powerful than It to save him. When she gets there she realizes the power is love. She concentrates all her love on Charles Wallace and is able to break It’s hold on him and tesseracts him back to their home on Earth. Once back they are reunited with Mr. Murry and Calvin.

This book is a classic. I have always loved it. The scifi plot is a great attention keeper. There are so many different types of loves expressed in this book, including Meg and Charles Wallace, Meg and Calvin, and the love between all of the children and the Mrs. W’s. This is also a great tale of good v. evil. It is something I think every kid going through middle school or high school should read it.

1. I believe a book report is always a good way to assess what older children took from a book.

2. For children in middle school, I could have the class design their own world that they visit and create an art piece to depict it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jdanforth
This book is a labor of intense love, or I miss my guess. It shows. The adaptation is true in spirit, and the art (for me) complements the feel of the original book without distracting from it for its own sake. Meg's internal asides are given front stage when they're important to the philosophical
Show More
journey, and don't take up more than a frame two. That's a fine rope to tread. My only complaint is that the medium of the graphic novel naturally carries a somewhat faster pace than straight prose, so the whole book seemed to go by a little too quickly. Or I suppose that could be because I read it so avidly. I'll have to reread, I guess.
Show Less
LibraryThing member athomp2
I love this book! It is a great story of children wanting to find out what happened to their dad to the point of taking huge chances! The resolve that these children showed to go through the portal to a different world and listen to those willing to help them (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, etc) was
Show More
amazing. Even more amazing was how they stood up to the evil controlling "head" that they had to encounter and figure out that LOVE is the secret. At some points in the book even I was scared about what was coming next, but couldn't stop reading! Great book!
Show Less
LibraryThing member WetheReaders
I enjoyed the graphic illustrations by Hope Larson.
LibraryThing member Momjai
I'm not normally a graphic novel kind of gal, but it's A Wrinkle in Time, for God's sake!
LibraryThing member pyattlori
I really liked this graphic novel rethinking of the classic novel. There are parts of the novel that were very difficult to visualize and the graphic novel definitely helps. It also captured the many moods of the Meg and showed just how given to her worst qualities she is. When explaining
Show More
tessering, the illustrations were very helpful and for showing her near death after tessering through the dark thing.I would use this in my classroom as a companion to the novel. I feel that stories that were created to be graphic novels are great in that form and should be studied in that form, but for stories like this, were they are transformed in the graphic form, I feel they do well to illuminate the text, but not to replace it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ARQuay
adeleine L’Engle’s classic, A Wrinkle In Time, received a graphic novel update from Hope Larson (author of Who is AC? and Mercury), which, with any luck, should reach an entirely new audience in a generation that may have otherwise missed out on this exemplary piece of young adult literature.
Show More
Larson’s adaptation faithfully follows L’Engle’s story and dialogue and bravely brings a concrete visual representation to people and places previously only found in L’Engle’s mind.
While there isn’t much to say about this story that hasn’t already been said, there is plenty to praise in Larson’s illustrations. Her version of Meg, the story’s protagonist, looks the part: bespectacled, ordinary and scowling (partly with frustration over her position as a not-so-bright child of brilliant parents with a distinct inability to fit in at school and partly with worry over the mysterious disappearance of her father, a scientist working for the government on a top-secret project). Charles Wallace, her extraordinarily intelligent and misunderstood younger brother, appears even more wide-eyed and tiny than the book suggested, appealing to the reader’s instinct to protect him and bringing contrast to the sage and eloquent things that come from his mouth. Other characters, like Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Aunt Beast, all of whom practically defied Ms. L’Engle to describe, are wonderful depicted (although they must be seen to be believed). Thankfully, Larson’s recreation of space and time travel add a new layer to L’Engle’s descriptions without taking away any of the mystery and wonder.
This book would pair perfectly with nearly any reader that loves graphic novels, science fiction or fantasy, or anyone already familiar with the original novel (or perhaps even someone who is all four of these things).
Show Less
LibraryThing member CelenaM511
Believe it or not, I never read a Wrinkle in Time, so I thought I'd check out the Graphic Novel version. The book is really thick, I think it might be a turn off to some and I didn't really like all of the illustrations. I'm definitely going to read the book now though to compare.
LibraryThing member molbhall
Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original work, Hope Larson’s adaptation takes L’Engle’s words and makes them into a graphic novel. The story remains unchanged, with Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin traveling to a distant galaxy in order to save Meg and Charles’s
Show More
father and stop an evil force from taking over the universe.

Larson’s interpretation of the novel uses the original dialogue but present the narrative in first-person perspective instead of third-person. This makes it even easier for readers to connect with Meg. The graphic novelist also does a good translation of abstract elements to a visual form. While readers familiar with the text version may have different mental images, they will likely appreciate the attempt to illustrate a shimmer like Mrs. Which or effect the tesseract has on Meg. It will also likely make this fairly conceptual work more accessible for readers who cannot quite pick up the ideas in a written form. This book would be useful in a classroom where the original is studied because it could lead to a discussion on adaption. It will also appeal to teens and pre-teens who enjoyed the original or who like reading graphic novels (or both).
Show Less
LibraryThing member TeenSpirit
The art is fun, and I still love the characters like I did reading this as a middle school child. Maybe it's the form, but the religiosity of the story seemed much more abrupt in this version than the all text version.
LibraryThing member claireforhan
I remember reading the original A Wrinkle in Time in 4th grade, and since that was over 8 years ago, I did not remember much from the story- other than the theory of how a Tesseract works (string theory). I enjoyed reading this graphic novel, and while I think that the pictures provided a lot of
Show More
visual detail, I still felt that it was lacking. I would like to go back and reread the original to see how much detail is left out- or if this is true to the original.

I think this graphic novel can help readers not quite ready to tackle the novel version bridge the gap.

Teaching Extension
Read both (or split up the class) and compare the effects of reading a graphic novel vs. the same story in novel form.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Megs_Scrambled
What a great adaptation of a classic children's novel! The graphic novel format certainly makes this book more accessible to children who may find the novel version too difficult. However, I don't think this edition replaces the magic of the story in novel form. The blue and black illustrations
Show More
makes this book seem more grown up than it is, but the artwork itself has a youthful, comic style. The adaptation uses as much original text as it can to propel the story, but sometimes I found myself missing more of L'Engle's rich language. I think it would be interesting to have children read both versions of the book and then discuss the differences.
Show Less

Awards

Eisner Award (Nominee — Best Publication for Young Adults — 2013)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — 2014)
Nerdy Book Award (Graphic Novels — 2012)

Pages

416

ISBN

1250056942 / 9781250056948
Page: 0.8039 seconds