A Wind in the Door is the follow up book to A Wrinkle in Time which I finished reading just a few weeks ago. I'm in love with these books, and I'm already dreaming about reading them to my kids someday (along with Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and many others).
This book continues the story of Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin. Meg is frightened when she finds out Charles Wallace is sick with a mysterious illness, and she feels overwhelemed and unprepared when she learns that she is being called to save him. Meg learns about mitochondria, farandolae, and that size is not always what it seems. Meg has to fight the Echthroi (those who hate) with love in order to save her brother's life and maintain the balance of the universe. Pretty awesome right?
The book tells a classic adventure story where the kids play the heroes, and the advanced scientific/philosophical/theological concepts make the books way fun - although most of the concepts will forever be way over my head.
L'Engle has an amazing gift as a story teller - and as a poet, as you can see from this poem included at the climax of the book. I've thought about this poem several times while watering my garden, and I love thinking of whole galaxies worth of importance contained in my plants and the little crawling insects.
Be!
Be, butterfly and behemoth,
be galaxy and grasshopper,
start and sparrow,
you matter,
you are,
be!
Be caterpillar and comet,
be porcupine and planet,
sea sand and solar system,
sing with us,
dance with us,
rejoice with us,
for the glory of creation,
sea gulls and seraphim,
angle worms and angel host,
chrysanthemum and cherabum
Be!
Sing for the glory
of the living and the loving
the flaming of creation
sing with us
dance with us
be with us.