Madeleine L'engle

by Tracey Baptiste

Writers of some of the best-loved children's books are profiled in a series that includes character profiles and the writers' inspiration for writing children's books.

125 pages, Library Binding

First published April 30, 2007

About the author

From Thompson-Gale: "Something About the Author"
I have always loved books. My favorite, was an oversized complete Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations, which I lost when my family moved to the United States. I was fascinated by the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn't so clever as well as the more traditional princess stories. When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume among other authors, I announced to my best friend that I was going to be a writer. I didn't decide what I wanted to write until I read "The Friends" by Rosa Guy. I had recently moved to Brooklyn, NY, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. It remains one of my favorite books. I started writing for children then, and never stopped. I had early interest from publishers from the moment I began submitting stories at the age of 21, but I didn't put in the work necessary to become published until my late twenties. "Angel's Grace" was largely written while I was on maternity leave with my first child. It was inspired by my mother (the redhead) and my husband. Because I have very young children, I work when they sleep, which, sadly, is very little.

Reviews

[Laurie Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madeleine L’Engle by Tracey Baptiste chronicles the personal and professional journey of the Newbery-award-winning author of A Wrinkle in Time. Although she wrote fiction, nonfiction and religious books, L’Engle rejected being portrayed as either a children’s writer or a Christian writer, insisting, “I’m a writer period.” L’Engle fans will appreciate the details of her childhood, acting career, marriage and the overview of her published works with special attention to the Time Fantasy series and the Austin Family Series. Through plentiful quotes from L’Engle herself, the biography offers insight into the connection between her life, her stories and the characters she created: “Every single one of my adolescent heroines is based on my own experience.” Baptiste also addresses the religious controversy that has surrounded A Wrinkle in Time as one of the 10 most banned books in the United States and L’Engle’s response that she felt honored to be listed alongside some of her favorite writers such as Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and Anne Frank.

Baptiste’s biography is part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Who Wrote That? series on famous children’s and young-adult authors. Packed with information on both L’Engle’s life and work, this relatively thin volume is well-organized and easily accessible. Each chapter contains at least one telling photograph of L’Engle and a “Did You Know?” sidebar. Extensive appendices include a chronology of L’Engle’s life from her birth in 1918 until her death in 2007 as well as comprehensive timelines of her 42 published works and 16 major awards. Baptiste provides numerous endnotes and a lengthy bibliography, however many of these cite internet sources, some of which are no longer available online and others which require registration to view. The biography does provide a valuable list of seven books and two websites for further reading. Overall, her facts seem to be accurate and well-supported, making the work suitable for high school students who simply want to learn more about L’Engle. Baptiste does a nice job of portraying L’Engle’s struggles and foibles as well as her virtues and success at an appropriate level for middle school readers.

Laurie A. Gray
Reprinted from the Christian Library Journal (Vo. XIV, No. 1, February 2010); used with permission.