100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime

Margaret Simon, almost twelve, likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain, and things that are pink. She's just moved from New York City to Farbrook, New Jersey, and is anxious to fit in with her new friends -- Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie. When they form a secret club to talk about private subjects like boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret is happy to belong.

But none of them can believe Margaret doesn't have a religion, and that she isn't joining the Y or the Jewish Community Center. What they don't know is that Margaret has her own special relationship with God. She can talk to God about everything -- family, friends, even Philip Leroy, the best-looking boy in sixth grade.

Margaret is funny and real. As you read her story, you'll know why this book has been the favorite of millions of readers. It's as if Margaret is talking right to you, sharing her secrets with a friend.

Amelia Bedelia was first published in 1963. This special fiftieth anniversary edition of the very first book restores the original text, page design, jacket, and palette of the original volume. What else is the same? Well, the dressed chicken, dusted furniture, and that delicious lemon meringue pie, among other things. An additional eight pages of behind-the-scenes sketches, photographs, and information about the beginnings of this iconic character, the author, the artist, and Amelia Bedelia's exploits throughout the years is included.

"No child can resist Amelia [Bedelia] and her literal trips through the minefield of the English language—and no adult can fail to notice that she's usually right when she's wrong."—The New York Times Book Review

Supports the Common Core State Standards

This is Book 1 of the Time Quintet Series

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

A Wrinkle in Time is the winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal.