A Wind in the Door

I've reread this one so many times the spine is creased, and the way L'Engle weaves the mitochondria and the farandolae into Charles Wallace's struggle still gives me chills. The dragons in the vegetable garden hook you right away, but it's the quiet, cosmic scale of the story that makes it unforget

The way this book folds science into Meg’s worry for Charles Wallace is what grabbed me—the dragons in the garden turn into something far stranger by the last chapter. I finished it in two sittings and kept flipping back to reread the tense scenes.

The way L'Engle weaves science and faith into the story of Charles Wallace needing to survive a serious illness is absolutely gripping. I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page, and the pacing feels just right for a middle-grade reader like my daughter.