The first books are some really crazy physics boiled down into a cute story. They are a lot to think about and it's fun to hurt your brain trying. The last two (I think, it's been a while) are less involved with science and focus more on a so-so storyline.

This is by all accounts from other readers a fine juvenile read. i found it when my children were already grown...adults...on their own, but finding I had enjoyed other "youth reads" I picked it up anyway. I found it nice. It's reader friendly and I think it will stretch and involve younger readers well. If you have younger readers this is one you should try. As a book that holds on over for older readers I don't think it works as well, though if you read it young and loved it that might be another story.

I really couldn't get involved in the story, but I wish I'd found itr when my kids were young enough to have it read to them.

My mom read these to me out loud when I was a kid. I have great memories of me and my siblings all piled around listening to a chapter before bed.

I hate science in most of its forms, so for Madeline L'Engle to even keep my attention in the Time Quartet is miraculous. I hate the theories. I hate the jargon. But the stories still keep me entertained and they are a nice change of pace from what I'm used to.

Absolutely one of my all-time favorite series. I read these books when I was younger, when I got a little older, when I got a little older ... come to think of it, it may be time to go back and read them again!

I love these books! My Dad bought me the first book, A Wrinkle in Time, when I was a young girl. I quickly devoured it and the subsequent follow-ups. I have reread them as an adult as well and enjoyed them just as much as when I was a child. The characters in the books make you feel like you don't have to be perfect or fit the same mold as everyone else to make a difference. It makes you realize that everyone has strengths, weaknesses, and insecurities, and that we should not be so quick to judge. L'Engle's books are unique , but very enjoyable for both children and adults.

a nice series to read

Fantasy

I had read a couple of these before, but did not remember them very well. Here's my book by book breakdown:

Wrinkle in Time: I remembered this one much more than I thought I did when I started. It is still probably the best of the bunch and the only one that might be called 'required reading'.

Wind in the Door: Probably my favorite of the books. Easily the most thematically satisfying and intriguing. I found the concept of 'naming' and the development of Mr. Jenkins especially relevant to our modern world.

Swiftly Tilting Planet: Easily my least favorite (at least time time around in which they were read in closer proximity to each other for reasons that'll become apparent as I go into why I liked Many Waters.

Many Waters: I can see why this is many people's least favorite. It is the most slowly plotted and least thematically intricate. However, as time went on, I appreciated it. In particular, I appreciated that it is one of the few works about the flood that realizes it's a story about the end of the world. I enjoyed that Sandy and Dennys got to be front and center as they, in later books, became the most interesting characters as they never got to do much (although Meg & Calvin remain my favorite characters) and, after three books in a row, I had grown sick of Charles Wallace.

I must admit that the original "Wrinkle in Time" didn't really hold up as well as I expected it to. I read it back in elementary school, and remembered it was one of the greats. However, as an adult, I found being bashed over the head with Christian mythology, which I didn't recall from childhood, annoying. Also, I got the impression that Ms. L'Engle got to 120 pages and suddenly realized she was under some contract to write no more than 132 pages, so rushed the ending. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think it was terrible, just not nearly as great as I remembered.
The other books, however, were great sequels, maintaining the storyline, even though there's little need of prior knowledge. The quality of writing is consistent, and the tales are generally well told, although the last's ("Many Waters") ending is also rushed.

Alas, I did not love the other novels as much as the first. And the deleted sections of A Wrinkle in Time would not have improved it, I fear. Of the additional materials, I liked best the essay on fantasy and science fiction (her remarks on receiving the Newbery Award).

I adore anything and everything by Madeleine L'Engle. The world she creates are compelling and captivating, filled with beings and ideas all her own. I have yet to read the 5th book in the quartet (something tells me it was an afterthought), but I loved the 4 that I have read.