hello everybody it is time for us to start reading a wrinkle in time one of the most notable and famous books by my favorite author ever Madeleine L'Engle so this book was originally published in 1962 which was before either of my parents were born so the fact that I read it when I was a kid just speaks to how long-lasting and powerful it is especially because they just made a movie about it write a book this old that people are still loving and still reading so it also won the Newbery Medal you see any time you see a metal like this on the cover of a book it's usually a sign that it's probably pretty good so this it won the Newbery Medal which is an award for basically the best children's book of that year so pretty good for our book so we are gonna jump right into it and we're gonna start with chapter 1 which is called it mrs. whatsit it was a dark and stormy night in her attic bedroom Margaret Murray wrapped in an old patchwork quilt sat on the foot of her bed and watch the trees tossing in the frenzied flashing of the wind behind the trees clouds scudded frantically across the sky every few moments the moon ripped through them creating wave-like shadows that raced along the ground the house shook wrapped in her quilt meg struck she wasn't usually afraid of weather it's not just the weather she thought it's the weather on top of everything else on top of me on top of McMurray doing everything wrong school school was all wrong she'd been dropped down to the lowest section in her grade that morning one of her teachers had said crossly really Meg I don't understand how a child was parents as brilliant as yours are supposed to be can make such a poor student if you don't manage to do a little better you'll have to stay back next year during lunch she had ruff paused a little to try to make herself feel better and one of her one of the girls said scornfully after all Maggie we aren't grammar school kids anymore why do you always act like such a baby and on the way home from school walking up the road with her arms full of books one of the boys had said something about her dumb baby brother at this she'd run the books on the side of the road and tackled him with every ounce of strength she had and arrived home with her blouse torn and a big bruise under one sandi and Una's her ten-year-old twin brothers who got home from school an hour earlier than she did were disgusted let us do the fighting when it's necessary they told her a delinquent that's right yeah she thought grimly that's what they'll be saying next not mother then everybody else I wish father but it was still not possible to think about her father without the danger of Tears only her mother could talk about him in a natural way saying when your father gets back gets back from where and when surely her mother must know what people were saying must be aware of the smuggling vicious gossip surely it must hurt her house it did Meg but if it did she gave no outward sign nothing ruffled the serenity of her expression why can't I hide it - thanks why do I always have to show everything the window rattled madly in the wind and she pulled the quilt close about her curled up on one of her pillows of gray fluff of kitten yawned showing its pink tongue tucked its head under again and went back to sleep everybody was asleep everybody except Meg even Charles Wallace the dumb baby brother who had an uncanny way of knowing when she was awake and unhappy and who would come so many nights tiptoeing up the otic stairs to her even Charles Wallace was asleep how could they sleep all day on the radio there have been hurricane warnings how could they leave her up in the attic in the rickety brass bed knowing that the roof might be blown off the house and she tossed out in the wild night sky to land who knows where her shimmering grew uncontrollable you asked to have the attic bedroom she told herself savagely mother let you have it because you're the oldest it's a privilege not punishment not during a hurricane it isn't a privilege she said aloud she tossed the quilt down on the foot of the bed and stood up the kitten stretched luxuriously and looked up at her with huge innocent eyes go back to sleep Mike said just be glad you're a kitten and not a monster like me she looked at herself in the wardrobe mirror and made a horrible face baring a mouthful of teeth covered with braces automatically she pushed her glasses into position ran her fingers through her mouth brown hair so that stood wildly on and lettuce I almost as noisy as the wind the wide wooden floorboards were cold against her feet wind blew and the crevices about the window frame in spite of the protection of the storm sash was supposed to offer she could hear wind howling the chimneys from all the way downstairs she could hear Fortinbras the big black dog started to bark he must be put in to never bark for that reason suddenly she remembered that when she had gone to the post office to pick up the mail she'd heard about a who was supposed to have stolen 12 sheets from mrs. bun comb Constable's way they hadn't caught him and maybe he was heading for the Murray's house right now isolated on a back road as it was and this time maybe he'd be after more than sheets maybe hadn't paid much attention to the talk about the track of time because the postmistress with a sugary smile had asked if she'd heard from her father lately she left her little room and made her way through the shadows of the main attic bumping against the ping pong table now I'll have a bruise on my hip on top of everything else she thought next she walked into her old doll's house Charles Wallace's walk Charles Wallace's rocking horse the twins electric trains why must everything happened to me she demanded of a large teddy bear at the foot of the attic stairs she stood still and listened not a sound from Charles Wallace's room on the right on the left in her parents room not a rustle from her mother sleeping alone in the great double bed she tipped her down the hall and into the twins room pushing again at her glasses as though they could help her to see better in the dark Dennis was snoring sandy murmured something about baseball and subsided the twins didn't have any problems they weren't great students but they weren't bad ones either they were perfectly content with the succession of bees and an occasional egg or sea they were strong and fast runners and good at games and when cracks were made about anybody in the Murray family they weren't made about sandy and Dennis she left the twins room and went downstairs avoiding the creaking sound of the stuff Fortinbras had stopped barking it wasn't the this time then port would go on barking if anybody was around but suppose the does come suppose he has a knife nobody lives in the air enough to hear if we screamed and screamed and screamed nobody would care any I'll make myself some cocoa she decided that'll cheer me up and if the roof blows off at least I won't go with it in the kitchen a light was already on and Charles Wallace was sitting at the table drinking milk and eating bread and jam he looked very small and vulnerable sitting there alone in the big old-fashioned kitchen a blonde little boy and faded believer dr. Denman's his feats weren't even good six inches above the floor hi he said cheerfully I've been waiting for you under the table where he was lying at Charles Wallace his feet hoping for a crumber to Horton bar raised his slender dark head and greeting tonight and his tail thumped against the floor arrived on a half-burned puffy scrawny and abandoned one winter night he was Mike's father had decided part Lou and Sutter and part Greyhound and he had a slender dark Beauty that was all his own why didn't you come up to the attic megha asked her brother speaking as though he were at least her own age I've been scared stiff too windy up in that attic of yours the little boy said I knew you'd be down I put some milk on the stove for you it ought to be hot by now how did Charles Wallace always know about her how could he always tell he never knew or seemed to care what Dennis and Sandy were thinking it was his mother's mind and Meg that he probed with frightening accuracy was it because people were a little afraid of him that they whispered about the Murrays youngest child who was rumored to be not quite bright I've heard that clever people often have subnormal children my kid wants it overheard the two boys seem to be nice regular children but that unattractive girl and the baby boy certainly aren't all there it was true that Charles Wallace seldom spoke when anybody was around so that many people thought he had never learned to talk and it was true if he hadn't talked at all until he was almost four meg would turn white with fury when people looked at him and clutched shaking their head sadly don't worry about Charles Wallace meg her father had once told her Meg remembered it very clearly because it was shortly before he went away there's nothing the matter with his mind he just does things in his own way and in his own time I don't want him to grow up to be dumb like me that could say oh my darling you're not dumb her father answered they were like Charles Wallace your development has to go at its own pace it just doesn't happen the usual pace how do you know magnet demanded how do you know I'm not done isn't it just because you love me I love you but that's not what tells me mother and I have given you a number of tests you know yes that was true and I kind of realized that some of the games for parents played with her we're tests of some kind and that there had been more for her and Charles Wallace than the other twins than for the twins IQ tests you mean yes some of them is my IQ okay more than okay what is it that I'm not going to tell you but it assures me that both you and Charles Wallace will be able to do pretty much whatever you like when you grow up to yourselves you just wait till Charles law starts to talk you'll see how right he had been about that though he himself had left before Charles Wallace began to speak suddenly with none of the usual baby preliminaries using entire sentences how proud he would have been you better check the milk Charles Wallace said to make now his diction clearer and cleaner and that of most five-year-olds you know you don't like it when he gets a skin on top you put in more than twice enough milk meg peered into the saucepan Charles Wallace knotted serenely I thought mother might like some I might like what a voice said and there was their mother standing in the doorway Koko Charles Wallace said would you like a liverwurst and cream cheese sandwich I'll be happy to make you one but I can make it myself if you're busy no trouble at all Charles Wallace slid down from his chair and trotted over to the refrigerator his pajamas feet padding softly as a kittens how about you Meg yes sandwich yes please she said but not liverwurst do we have any tomatoes Charles Wallace peered into the crisper one all right if I use it on Meg mother - what better use could it be put mrs. Murray smile but not too loud please Charles that is unless you want the twins downstairs too let's be exclusive Charles Wallace said that's my new word for the day impressive isn't it prodigious mrs. Murray said Meg come let me look at that bruise magno at her mother's feet the warmth and light of the kitchen have relaxed her so her attic fears were gone the Coco steam fragrantly in the saucepan geraniums bloomed on the windowsills and there was a bouquet of tiny yellow chrysanthemums in the center of the table the curtains red with blue and green geometrical pattern were drawn and seemed to reflect their cheerfulness throughout the room the furnace purred like a great sleepy animal the lights glowed with steady radiance outside alone in the dark the winds still battered against the house but the angry power that are frightened meg when she was alone in the Attic was subdued by the familiar comfort of the kitchen underneath mrs. Murray's chair Fortinbras let out a contented sigh mrs. Murray gently touched Meg's bruised cheek Megan looked up at her mother half in loving admiration half and sullen resentment it was not an advantage to have a mother who was a scientist and a beauty as well mrs. Murray's flaming red hair creamy skin and violet eyes with long dark lashes seemed even more spectacular in comparison with Meg's outrageous plainness Meg's hair had been passable as long as she worked idly in braids when she went into high school it was cut and now she and her mother struggled was putting it up but one side would come out curly and the other side straight so she looked even plainer than before that's a nasty bruise the Henderson boy gave you by the way shortly after you'd gone to bed his mother called to complain about how badly you'd hurt him I told her that since he's a year older and at least twenty-five pounds heavier than you are I thought I was the one who ought to be doing the complaining but she seemed to think it was all your fault I suppose that depends on how you look at it next time usually no matter what happens people think it's my fault even if I have nothing to do with it at all but I'm sorry I tried to fight him it's just been an awful week and I'm full of bad feeling mrs. Murray stroked Meg shaggy head do you know why I hate being an oddball like that it's hard on sandy and Dennis too I don't know if they're really like everybody else or if they're just able to pretend they are I try to pretend but it isn't any help you're much too straightforward to be able to pretend to be what you aren't mrs. Murray said I'm sorry Meg maybe if father were here he could help you but I don't think I can do anything until you've managed to plow through some more time then things will be easier for you but that isn't much help right now is it maybe if I weren't so repulsive looking maybe if I were pretty like you mother's not a bit pretty she's beautiful Charles Wallace announced slicing liverwurst therefore I bet she was awful at your age how right you are mrs. Marie said just give yourself time Meg let us on your sandwich mother Charles Wallace asked no thanks he cut the sandwich into sections put it on a plate and set it in front of his mother yours will be along in just a minute Meg I think I'll talk to mrs. Watson about you who's mrs. whatsit like ask I think I want to be exclusive about her for a while Charles Wallace an onion salt yes please what's mrs. whatsit stand for mrs. Murray asked that's her name Charles Wallace answered you know the old shingle house back in the woods that the kids won't go near because they say it's haunted that's where they live they mrs. whatsit are two friends I was out with Fortin brought a couple days ago you and the twins were at school Meg we like to walk in the woods and suddenly he took off after a squirrel and I took off after him and we ended out by the haunted house so I met them by accident as you might say but nobody lives there thanks mrs. whatsit and her friends do they're very enjoyable why didn't you tell me about it before mrs. Murray asked and you know you're not supposed to go off our property without permission Charles I know Charles said that's one reason I didn't tell you I just rushed off after Fortinbras without thinking and then I decided well I'd better save them for an emergency anyhow a fresh gust of wind took the house and shook it and suddenly the rain began to lash against the windows I don't think I like this wind neck said nervously well there's some shingles off the roof that's certainly mrs. Murray said but this house has stood for almost 200 years and I think it will last a little longer Meg there's been many a high wind up on this hill but this is a hurricane Mike wailed the radio kept saying it was a hurricane it's October mrs. Murray told her there are fun storms in October before as Charles Wallace gave Mike her sandwich Fortinbras came out from under the table he gave a long low growl and they could see the dark first slow rising on his back leg felt her own skin prickle what's wrong she asked anxiously Fortinbras stared at the door that opened into mrs. Murray's laboratory which was in the old stone dairy right off the kitchen beyond the lab a pantry let out doors though mrs. Murray had done her best to train the family to come into the house through the garage door or the front door and not through her lab but it was the lab door and not the garage door toward which Wharton brought was growling you didn't leave any nasty smelling chemicals cooking over a Bunsen burner did you mother Charles Wallace asked mrs. Murray stood up no but I think I'd better go see what's upsetting for anyhow it's the trail I'm sure it's the Nega said nervously what the Charles Wallace asked you were saying at the post office this afternoon that a stole all of mrs. von home sheep well we'd better sit on our pillow pieces then this is Murray said lightly I don't think even a would be out on a night like this mag but that's probably why he is out meg whale trying to find a place not to be out in which case I'll offer him the bar until morning mrs. Murray went briskly to the door I'll go with you Meg's voice was shrill no mad you stay with Charles nature sandwich he exclaimed as mrs. Murray went out through the lab how does she expect me to eat mother can take care of herself Charles said physically that is but he sat in his father's chair at the table and his legs kicked at the rungs and Charles Wallace unlike most small children had the ability to sit still after a few moments that seemed like forever to me mrs. Murray came back in holding the door open for was it the it seemed in pop it seems small for a magazine of a the age or gender was impossible to tell for it was completely bundled up and closed several scars of assorted colors when were tied about the head and a man's felt hat perched atop a shocking pink stole was knotted about a ruff overcoat and black rubber boots covered the feet mrs. whatsit Charles said suspiciously what are you doing here and at this time of night too now don't you be worried my honey a voice emerged from a month turned up coat collar stole scarves and hat a voice like an unwieldy ape but somehow wasn't mrs. whatsit said she lost her way mrs. Murray said would you care for some hot chocolate mrs. whatsit charmed I'm sure mrs. whatsit answered taking off the hat in the stool it isn't so much I lost my way is that I got blown off course and when I realized that I was that little Charles Wallace's house I thought I'd just come in and rest a bit before proceeding on my way how did you know this was Charles Wallace's house my gasps by the smell mrs. whatsit untied a blue and green Paisley scarf a red and yellow flowered print a gold liberty print a red and black bandanna under all this is a sparse quantity of grayish hair that was tied and a small but tidy knot on top of her head her eyes were bright her nose around soft blob her mouth puckered like an autumn Apple my but it's lovely and warm in here she said do sit down mrs. Murray indicated a chair would you like a sandwich mrs. whatsit I've had liverwurst and cream cheese Charles has had bread and jam and megg lettuce and tomato now let me see this is what sit ponder I passionately fond of Russian caviar you peeked Charles cried indignantly we're saving that for mother's birthday and you can't have any mrs. whatsit gave a deep and pathetic sigh no Charles said now you mustn't give in to her mother or I shall be very angry how about tuna fish salad alright mrs. whatsit said meekly I'll fix it megha author going to the pantry for a can of tuna fish for crying out loud she thought this old woman who comes barging in on us in the middle of the night and mother takes it as though it weren't any particular there weren't anything peculiar peculiar about it at all all that she is the I'll bet she did steal those sheets and she certainly know when Charles Wallace ought to be friends with especially when he won't even talk to ordinary people I've only been in the neighborhood a short time mrs. whatsit was saying as Meg's switched off the pantry light and came back into the kitchen with the tuna fish and I done didn't think I was going to like the neighbors at all until I until dear little Charles Wallace came over with his dog mrs. whatsit Charles Wallace demanded severely why did you take mrs. bond comb sheets well I needed them Charles dear you must return them at once but Charles dear I can't I've used them it was very wrong with you Charles Wallace school bit if you need sheets that badly you should have asked me mrs. whatsit shook her head and cooked you can't spare any sheets mrs. bond cotton fan Megan cut up some celery and mixed it in with the tuna after a moment's hesitation she opened the refrigerator door and brought out a jar of little sweet pickles no why I'm doing it for her I don't know she thought I should cut them up I don't trust her one bit tell your sister I'm all right this is what's it said to Charles tell her my intentions are good the road to hell is paved with good intentions Charles intoned my buddy coming mrs. it's lucky he has someone to understand him but I'm afraid he does it this is very sad none of us is quite up to Charles but at least you aren't trying to squash him down mrs. whatsit nodded her head vigorously you're letting him be himself here's your sandwich Meg said bringing it to mrs. whatsit do you mind if I take off my boots before I eat this is what's it asked picking up the sandwich nevertheless listen she moved her feet up and down in her boots and they could hear water squelching my toes are ever so damned the trouble is that these boots are a mite too tight for me and I can never take them off by myself I'll help you Charles offering not you you're not strong enough I'll help mrs. Murray squatted at mrs. whatsit speed yanking on one slick food when the boot came off it became suddenly mrs. Murray sat down with a thump mrs. whatsit went tumbling backward with the chair onto the floor Sandra tell high in one old claw water poured out of the boot and ran over the floor and the big braided rug Oh Deary me mrs. whatsit said lying on her back in the overturned chair her feet in the air one in a red and white striped sock the other is still booted mrs. Murray got to her feet are you all right mrs. whatsit if you have some liniment I'll put it on my dignity this is what's it said still supine I think it's sprained a little oil of clothes mixed well with garlic is rather good and she took a large bite of sandwich do please get up the Charles said I don't like to see a line there that way you're carrying things too far have you ever tried to get to your feet with a sprained dignity but mrs. whatsit scrambled up right at the chair and then sat back down on the floor the booted foot stuck out in front of her and took another bite she moved with great agility for such an old woman at least meg was reasonably sure she was an old woman and a very old woman at then mrs. whatsit her mouthful ordered mrs. Marie now pull it while I'm already down quite calmly as if this old woman and her boots were nothing out of the ordinary mrs. Marie pulled until the second boot relinquished the foot this foot was covered with a blue and gray Argyle sock and mrs. whatsit sat there ringlets wriggling her toes contentedly finishing her sandwich before scrambling to her feet ah she said that's ever so much better and took both boots and shook them out over the sink my stomach is full and I'm warm inside and out it's time I went home don't you think you'd better stay until morning mrs. Marie asked oh thank you dearie but there's so much to do I just can't waste time sitting around for bawling it's much too a while tonight to travel in wild nights are my glory this is what's it said I just caught got caught in a downdraft and blown off course well at least till your socks are dry wet socks don't bother me I just didn't like the water squishing about in my boots now don't worry about me lamb lamb was not a word one would ordinarily think of calling mrs. Murray I shall just sit down for a moment and pop on my boots then I'll be on my way speaking of ways pet by the way there is such a thing as a tesseract mrs. Murray went very white and with one hand reached backwards and clutched at a chair for support her voice trembled what did you say mrs. whatsit tugged at her second boot I said she grunted shoving her foot down in there is such a thing Shut as a tesseract her foot went down into the boot and grabbing shawls scarves and hat she hustled out the door mrs. Murray stay very still making no move to help the old woman as the door open Fortinbras streaked in panting wet and shiny as a seal he looked at mrs. Murray and whined the door slammed mother what's that matter that cried what did she say what is it the tesseract mrs. Murray whispered what did she mean how could she have known and that is the end of chapter one so hopefully we find out a little bit more we've met some of our main characters so far and we heard something a little mysterious sounding that kind of reach mrs. Murray out so we will pick back up tomorrow with Chapter two and hopefully learn a little more about what the tesseract means as we keep getting to know Meg and Charles Wallace and all the other characters