Cat Johnson Braves Doll Lil’s Word Association Challenge!

Fifty years ago a novel was published that would change the face of children’s literature forever. With its science fiction theme, female heroine, and explanations of space and time travel this book was initially received with apprehension, skepticism, and close mindedness. It had been rejected by 26 publishers on the basis of being “too different” and containing a female hero. There are accusations that it focused on the hot button issue of the 1960s: pro-communism. It has been banned by various religious groups as it is considered to contain inappropriate language, undermining of religious themes, and challenging the idea of a Christian God.

In the 1990’s the Anniston, Alabama school system banned it simply because the name Jesus was mentioned along with the names of artists and philosophers. Religious groups have accused this novel of indoctrinating young children with Eastern religious practices such as crystal balls, astral travel, telepathy, and psychic healing. Citizens for Excellence in Education in Waterloo, Iowa accused the author of promoting sadism and occult practices.

Between the years 1990 through 1999 this novel ranked as the number 23 on a list of 100 most challenged books. From the year 2000 to the year 2009 it ranked at number 90 on this same list. However, this book has also won the 1963 Newberry medal as well as The American Library Association Notable Children’s Book award and ranking on the Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List. It has sold more than 10 million copies and has been adapted to film. USA Today ranked it 3^rd on their list of top 100 Greatest Books for Kids. The name of this novel, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

I first discovered this book when I was eight years old. While idling away my recess hours on a rainy day I decided to peruse the book shelf in Miss Kaufman’s third grade classroom. It was stocked with many interesting books for a bookworm like me, John Tremain by Esther Forbes, Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. But none of these titles seemed to whet my appetite for literary satisfaction.

I then spotted an intriguing cover, one that would change my life forever: the image of a beautiful winged centaur gliding amongst the clouds above and beyond the danger of the jagged cliffs and a great red-eyed fiend. I opened it to page one and it only took seven title words to captivate me at once. “It was a dark and stormy night.”

Little did I realize that this would be the book that would reinforce my desires to become a writer when I grew up. Little did I realize that this book would propagate my love of reading and essentially carve my career path as a book reviewer.

Since then I have read A Wrinkle in Time over and over again. As an adult, I find that each time I pick it up I still feel the same enthusiasm I felt on that dark and stormy day that I plucked it off the bookshelf in my third grade classroom. I’ve yet to find an author whose knack for creativity and imagination touches my heart in a way that Madeleine L’Engle has over the years. For decades her writing has not only inspired children to read but has inspired them to ENJOY reading.

The battles between good and evil, the powerful characters, the creative plots, and magical settings teach children that reading doesn’t have to be laborious, it can be fun. Little girls with glasses (like me) find a heroine they can look up to in Meg Murry. Children who are picked on for being different can learn that being different is ok because it makes you special like Charles Wallace. Everyone can learn that being courageous and standing up for what is right is of great importance through the actions of Calvin O’Keefe. And through the bold discoveries of Mr. and Mrs. Murry we are taught that with hard work anything is possible.

To see that such a wonderful novel has been banned pains me deeply. A Wrinkle in Time is not only my favorite children’s book but also my favorite book of all time. Without it you would not be sitting here reading my article. Without it I would not have garnered the skills that would one day make me a paperback doll. Without it, my to be read list would be nonexistent. In the words of fellow redhead Ariel, “I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad.”

Chrissy fell in love with books at an early age. It all started with Judi Barrett’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. At the tender age of five she decided that she wanted to be a writer. Later, she graduated to books like A Wrinkle in Time, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and the Goosebumps series, participating avidly in her school’s Book It program. High school brought on new challenges and loves. She began writing for the school’s newspaper and literary magazine. The works of Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Shirley Jackson quickly overran her bookshelves. But when Chrissy was introduced to the world of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, a grand love affair was set in motion. She is an avid reader of romance, urban fantasy, horror, erotica, and cozy mysteries. After working for the city library for six years and being surrounded by the works of greatly admired authors, she decided to devote her life to writing full time and hasn’t looked back since. When she is not devouring book after book, Chrissy loves to cook, bake, volunteer at the local animal shelter, and feed her addiction for horror movies. She lives in Maryland with her family and beloved pets.

Doll Chrissy

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