海角大神

Thanks to author Madeleine L鈥橢ngle, many readers know exactly what 鈥渢esseract鈥� means.

At least they think they know. In real life, "tesseract" is actually a geometry concept. But in pop culture, the word is inextricably linked to time travel and L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 classic novel 鈥淎 Wrinkle in Time,鈥� which celebrates its 50h anniversary this year. A special edition of the book will be released tomorrow, with extras that include the text of L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 Newbery Medal acceptance speech, an introduction by 鈥淏ridge to Teribithia鈥� author Katherine Paterson, and an afterword by L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voiklis.

In the novel, main character Meg Murry鈥檚 father left on a government mission months ago but has gone missing. Then, one night during a thunderstorm, Meg and her family are visited by a mysterious woman who introduces herself as Mrs Whatsit. Mrs Whatsit and her companions convince Meg, Meg鈥檚 brother Charles Wallace, and Meg鈥檚 friend Calvin that they must embark on a journey to find Meg and Charles Wallace鈥檚 father and save him from a terrible evil.

In addition to winning the Newbery Medal, 鈥淎 Wrinkle in Time鈥� was a runner-up for the Hans 海角大神 Andersen Award and won the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. The book was the first in a series by L鈥橢ngle about the Murry family which consisted of four other books. The first, 鈥淎 Wind in the Door,鈥� follows Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin as they meet a cherubim and fight off new villains, creatures called Echthroi. The next book in the series, 鈥淎 Swiftly Tilting Planet,鈥� jumps ahead several years to a time when Charles Wallace must save the world from a dangerous dictator. In 鈥淢any Waters,鈥� Meg and Charles Wallace鈥檚 brothers Sandy and Dennys are transported back to Biblical times, and the last book in the series, 鈥淎n Acceptable Time,鈥� details the adventures of one of the members of the next generation of the family, a girl named Polly.

Despite time travel and other science fiction plot devices, L鈥橢ngle biographer Leonard Marcus says the book鈥檚 major theme is Meg鈥檚 love for her family, the most powerful weapon she possesses in the fight against the evil IT.

鈥淎t its core it鈥檚 about a girl鈥檚 love for her father,鈥� Marcus said in . 鈥淎nd that emotional level transcends the genre aspect of the book.鈥�

While still beloved by many readers, 鈥淎 Wrinkle in Time鈥� is also one of the most frequently banned books in the United States, according to a list released by the American Library Association. In the ALA鈥檚 list of 鈥�100 Most Frequently Banned Books鈥� for the decade of 1990 to 1999, L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 novel came in at number 23. Critics say the book鈥檚 battle between good and evil reflects badly on religion.

But banning the book hasn鈥檛 stopped it from being deeply embedded in pop culture 鈥� and it鈥檚 not going away anytime soon. 鈥淎 Wrinkle in Time鈥� has been adapted into play form, and a film version was produced by several companies in Canada and aired in the United States on ABC in 2004. The movie starred actress Katie Stuart as Meg, David Dorfman as Charles Wallace, and 鈥淓verwood鈥� actor Gregory Smith as Calvin. (L鈥橢ngle, who died in 2007, saw the film and later said, 鈥淚 expected it to be bad, and it is.鈥�) Later, the book cropped up on the popular ABC television series 鈥�Lost,鈥� which was famous for referencing classic works of literature. (Con man Sawyer read the book while stranded on the island). A feature film adaptation of 鈥淎 Wrinkle in Time鈥� is currently in production at Disney.

And future generations? Author Melissa Wiley, who writes for the blog GeekMom, says she loved the novel so much she couldn鈥檛 wait to share it with her kids, who devoured it as quickly as she did and clamored for the sequels.

鈥淭essering 鈥� what a marvel!鈥� Wiley . 鈥淎nd all those Camazotz kids bouncing their balls in perfect unison! Remember how your heart pounded when that one boy lost control of his ball and it went rolling into the street, and his mother totally panicked? I swear, my heart is beating faster right now, just thinking about it. Because this is a book that still tessers me to another world.鈥�

Molly Driscoll is a Monitor contributor.

Join the Monitor's book discussion on and .