Is It Age Appropriate? (Entry #7)

  As I read A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle, I did realize that there were several more morals in the book, than I had realized during my first time reading it. As we grow up, things become clearer to us, such as books, movies, and other things in everyday life. I thought that this book was very educational and taught a lesson of friendship and trust. But reviews and other information say that it was more than just the complex scientific themes, that were too mature for young minds.
   For example, although the book is filled with fantasy and children as the main characters, there are dark themes that are said to be age inappropriate. The Open Critic is a website, that "aims to be a forum for the literate discussion of popular literary culture", did a review of A Wrinkle In Time, and under subtitle, A Wrinkle in Time, Whatsit, Who, Which, it says that these characters (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.Who, and Mrs. Which) might be witches. In the book they are looked at to be guides, or angels, to the main characters. But in the review, it states that "It’s been banned for … Including witchcraft, crystal balls, and all the other hocus-pocus that makes a classic fantasy novel." So I would think that this book is looked at by others as a book for older readers.
    While accepting her Newbury Award in 1963, Madeline L'Engle stated in her speech "A writer of fantasy, fairly tale, or myth must inevitably discover that he is not writing out of his own knowledge or experience, but out of something both deeper and wider." This statement leads me to believe that these themes of witchcraft and crystal balls, are not meant to be mature, but to expand the reader's imagination and put more emphasis on the fact that the genre of this book was somewhat fantasy, and the witchcraft should be looked at as magic and make-believe.