I learned to read at a relatively normal age - I think it was when I was 5. And, at first, I read the normal amount - not much. Then, when I was 9, I had measles or something (maybe chicken pox? I dunno) and my mom, for some reason, gave me a book. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle. I read it, start to finish. Then I started over.
It's the book that turned me from someone who reads into a READER. Into the sort of person I am. My sister is 12 years older than I, and I used to visit her for holidays. I would arrive with 1 pair of pants, a few shirts, some underwear and stuff, and books. Usually three or four for me, plus presents for my nephews, who called me "Uncle Peter, Book Reader". I read. I read on the subway, I read in the bath. I read before bed, I read when I have insomnia. I read in the doctor's office, and I read while walking down the street.
How did this book do this to me?
First of all, the protagonists are children. That's not so unusual for a kid's book. But they are ODD children, and they have odd adventures. I was an odd child. Learning disabled and gifted. Nearsighted, undersized, skinny.
The book's main protagonist is Meg. A teenage girl who feels completely misunderstood. WELL. YEAH. OK, these days, there are a lot of kid's books with this sort of hero. But in 1968? Not so much. She has a weird little brother, Charles Wallace, who is very very smart, but seems very very dumb. WELL YEAH. TELL ME ABOUT IT!
Their father is away on some mysterious business; he's an acknowledged genius, and he's off doing secret stuff. Hmmmm . My dad worked 80 and 90 hour weeks and was regarded as a genius.
And they make friends with a trio of witches. And have adventures. They fight evil, and the ultimate evil is conformity. HOT DAMN!
so, thank you Ms. L'Engle. Maybe without your book, I still would have become a reader. But I'm glad I don't have to find out.