Middle Grade Fantasy Series: Start with Madeleine L'Engle
By Books of Wonder | Published: 2026-10-24
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to introduce young readers to Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet, starting with the right book and reading order.
Quick answer
Start with A Wrinkle in Time, the Newbery Award winner, then read A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time in that order.
Why reading order matters
The Time Quintet builds on characters and events across five books. Skipping ahead, for example jumping to A Swiftly Tilting Planet, means missing key introductions to Meg Murry, Charles Wallace, and the cosmic conflict that shapes later adventures. Each book assumes knowledge from the previous one, so reading in order gives young readers the full story arc.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet features a fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace and a grown Meg, which may be less engaging without first seeing them as children in A Wrinkle in Time. Starting with the first book also establishes L'Engle's unique blend of science fiction, fantasy, and moral questions at a level appropriate for ages 8–12.
A note on age suitability
The entire quintet is classified as Middle Grade (8–12), but the later books touch on more mature themes like war, sacrifice, and time travel. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, for instance, deals with a dictator and world destruction. Parents may want to read alongside their child for the later books, especially if the reader is on the younger end of the age range.
Steps to start the Time Quintet
- Begin with A Wrinkle in Time: This Newbery Award winner introduces Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, along with the concept of a tesseract and the battle against the Dark Thing. It sets the tone and world-building for the entire series. Don't skip this book—it lays the foundation for all later character relationships and conflicts.
- Read A Wind in the Door second: This sequel focuses on Charles Wallace's illness and introduces the concept of mitochondria and the Echthroi. It deepens the scientific fantasy elements and prepares readers for the time travel in book three. Skipping this book will make Charles Wallace's role in A Swiftly Tilting Planet feel less earned.
- Continue with A Swiftly Tilting Planet: Here, Charles Wallace and the unicorn Gaudior travel through time to prevent a nuclear war. The story assumes familiarity with Meg and Charles from earlier books, so reading in order is essential. If the reader struggles with the time-jumping narrative, consider reading a chapter together and discussing the historical settings.
- Finish with Many Waters and An Acceptable Time: Many Waters explores the story of the unicorns and the flood myth, while An Acceptable Time brings the series to a close with a time-travel mystery involving Polly and the Murry family. Both books resolve threads set up earlier. These books are less well-known but are vital for a complete experience—don't stop at book three.
Featured book in the series
- A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet #3): In A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle, a companion to the Newbery Award winner A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace and the unicorn Gaudior undertake a perilous journey through time in a desperate attempt to stop the destruction of the world by the mad dictator Madog Branzillo. This third book deepens the series' stakes and introduces time-travel mechanics, making it a rewarding read after the first two books.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet #3)
