A Wrinkle in Time is a young adult novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book has won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. The main characters; Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O'Keefe embark on a journey through space and time, from universe to universe, as they endeavour to save the Murrys' father and the world. The novel offers a glimpse into the war between light and darkness, and good and evil, as the young characters mature into adolescents on their journey. The novel wrestles with questions of spirituality and purpose, as the characters are often thrown into conflicts of love, divinity, and goodness. It is the first book in L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the Murrys and Calvin O'Keefe.
L'Engle modeled the Murry family on her own. Scholar Bernice E. Cullinan noted that L'Engle created characters who "share common joy with a mixed fantasy and science fiction setting." The novel's scientific and religious undertones are therefore highly reflective of the life of L'Engle.
The book has inspired two film adaptations, both by Disney: a 2003 television film directed by John Kent Harrison, and a 2018 theatrical film directed by Ava DuVernay.