2009 books 248 and 249

I said I was going to read these two together, and I did:

Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time
This officially counts as my first Shelf Discovery Challenge book--ok, it wasn't on my initial list, but you have to make do when you can't find classics like A Stranger with my Face. And this book is always an entertaining read--what bespectabled bookworm doesn't dream of the day that a Calvin will notice she has dreamboat eyes? Plus all the magical space travel, and fighting of evil, and sweet sibling relationships, and Aunt Beast. I never much liked the sequel (don't they, like, go into cells and repair mitochondrions or something? Is that where George Lucas came up with his crappy definition of the Force for the prequels?) but do remember enjoying the one where a unicorn helps Charles Wallace go back in time to discover Calvin's ancestry and save the world. Ah, YA lit.

Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me
There's always a worry that, when you reread a book you remember loving, it won't hold up (which frankly sort of happened to me with A Wrinkle in Time). But this book is really the best book I read in 2009. I was crying in advance of events this time, and really all throughout. Such an amazing story, about a girl who loves Wrinkle, and losing and gaining friendships, and game shows, and two-dollar bills, and first romance, and the possibility of time travel. Plus a nice dentist.