A Wrinkle in Time
Level W
Page
Summary
1-18
Chapter 1 Mrs. Whatsit
Margaret Murry sits in her attic room, during a
storm, reflecting on the day. Her teacher had sent
her to the lowest level in the grade and has
threatened to retain her next year. Her teacher
wonders how Margaret can have such difficulty in
school when she has such intelligent parents.
She had been made fun of at school after rough
housing. She got in a fight on the way home from
school after two boys were talking about her, “dumb
baby brother (Charles Wallace).” Sandy and
Dennys her 10 year old twin brothers had gotten
upset about it. They said they could defend
themselves.
Meg is worried about everyone thinking she is
delinquent. Her father is missing and she is clearly
upset. Her mother is the only one that seems to be
able to talk about him calmly.
Meg is upset she has to be in the attic, even though
she wanted to sleep there. She is worried about the
hurricane warnings and the thought of being sucked
away by the wind. She gets out of bed and makes a
mean face in the mirror. Then she hears Fortinbras,
their dog (they got him as a puppy, he had been
abandon), barking. She wonders what is wrong,
since he always has a reason for barking.
She remembers hearing the postmistress talk of a
tramp taking some of her papers. She wonders if the
tramp is headed to their house next for something
more.
Meg checks on everyone thinking all is well. She
gets easily frustrated as she bumps into several toys
and other items in the dark. Once downstairs she
finds Charles Wallace having a jam sandwich with
the dog at his feet. He had been waiting for her.
She wonders how he always knows how she and her
mom are feeling.
He had warmed a double portion of milk for Meg
and for his mom. His mom walked in the door after
he had been talking to Meg.
Most people just think Charles and Meg are slow.
Her dad assured her before he left that they could
both grow up to be whatever they wanted. Charles
took a while to speak, but once he learned, he spoke
in fluent, clear sentences. Her dad would be proud.
Meg’s mom joins them in the kitchen while they all
eat sandwiches and drink cocoa. Meg is able to
calm down, but is then frustrated by the fight at
school. Everyone thinks she is an, “oddball.” She
speaks of being full of bad feelings all week. Meg
also talks about Sandy and Dennys being normal.
Additionally, she is frustrated that her mother is
both beautiful and smart (She feels as though she
received neither trait).
Charles then tells them he wants to talk to Mrs.
Whatsit about Meg. He tells that she lives in the
haunted house in the woods with two of her friends.
He met her accidentally when he was chasing the
dog, which had run off.
The dog stands and bristles at the laboratory door.
Meg becomes nervous at Fortinbras’ growl. Her
mom goes to see who the dog is growling at. She
comes back with a tiny figured dressed in many
layers of scarves and clothing. Charles recognizes
her as Mrs. Whatsit. The traveler says she new this
was Charles house by the smell. The mom offers
Questions
Comprehension
Strategies
Vocabulary
frenzied (1)
scudded (1)
wraithlike (1)
What clue does this
quote tell about Meg?
“…After all, Meg, we
aren’t grammarschool kids anymore.
Why do you always
act like such a
baby?”
scornfully (2)
delinquent (2)
serenity (2)
savagely (3)
sash (4)
tramp (4)
Where did the dad
go? Did he run
away?
Does Charles have a
special gift?
What helped Meg to
calm down when she
was scared?
What helps you to
calm down?
The author mentions
freshly picked
chrysanthemums on
the table. What clues
does this give you
about the setting?
How did she
Personification: The
furnace purred like a
great, sleepy animal (9).
exclusive (8)
prodigious (8)
geraniums (8)
chrysanthemums
(8)
admiration (9)
sullen (9)
resentment (9)
moderation (9)
Bunsen burner
(12)
19-33
her a seat and a snack. Mrs. Whatsit wants Russian
caviar.
Charles tells her that she peeked and that it is for
Mother’s birthday. She settles for tuna salad.
Charles then scolds her for taking Mrs. Buncombe’s
sheets and tells her to return them. She says she has
used them and she cannot. Charles tells her that it
was very wrong. She wants Charles to tell Meg that
her intentions are good. He replies, telling her that
hell is paved with good intentions.
Mrs. Murry then helps Mrs. Whatsit remove her
boots. Removing the first one, both fall onto the
floor. Mrs. Whatsit reveals a red and white striped
sock and a blue argyle sock on the other foot.
Charles tells Mrs. Whatsit to get up, but she says it
is hard to get up with a sprained dignity.
Mrs. Whatsit says she must continue on. She has
much to do, especially since the storm is her glory.
She talks about getting blown off course by a down
draft. Then Mrs. Whatsit tells Mrs. Murry that a
tesseract does exist. Mrs. Murray freezes in shock
as Mrs. Whatsit leaves. She wonders how Mrs.
Whatsit even knows about it.
Chapter 2 Mrs. Who
Meg woke up to her alarm thinking the night before
was all just a bad dream. She went downstairs to
find everyone, but Charles. She asks where he is.
Mrs. Murry says he is still asleep because of the
crazy night before.
Mrs. Murry apologizes for acting odd last night.
She says she will explain a tesseract (a concept)
when Meg gets home from school.
Meg gets sent to the principal for mouthing off to
the teacher. He tells her she needs to change her
attitude to succeed, but some of the teachers are not
sure that she can. He also asks where her father has
gone. She doesn’t know, and wouldn’t tell him if
she did. Mr. Jenkins tells her that she must face the
facts that her father is not coming home. She insists
that he is because her mom is sure. He dismisses
her.
Everyone is home when she gets there after school,
but the twins who are at Little League. Charles
convinces Meg to go see Mrs. Whatsit to warm her
that she may get into trouble for stealing the sheets.
Meg talks about her awful day, but Charles already
knows. As they walk through the woods Charles
explains that when he concentrates he understands a,
“different” language and can tell what people are
thinking and feeling. He says he can even hear the
wind talking to the trees at times. It tires him out so
he only concentrates on Meg and his mom.
He wants to learn to read, but he is afraid of what
will happen at school next year if the kids know he
can. He doesn’t want people to think that he is
smart so they won’t hate him.
As they continue on the dog starts to bark and they
see a boy standing at the house. He wants them to
call off the dog. Meg tells Charles that he (Calvin)
is a few grades above her and on the basketball
team. The boy then reveals he plays basketball just
because he is tall and that he is trying to get away
from his family – runny noses. He is 3rd of 11 kids.
Charles interrogates him and Calvin is taken back
by Charles’ intelligence. Charles then talks about
people feeling smug when they think they are
smarter than others. Calvin then talks about a
feeling he gets sometimes that he has to follow. It
doesn’t come often, but when it does he follows it.
This is why he is at the haunted house. Charles
physically manifest
having bad feelings?
Predicting/Summarizing
shrill (12)
caviar (14)
indignantly (14)
meekly (14)
severely (15)
intoned (16)
cunning (16)
vigorously (16)
squelching (16)
liniment (17)
supine (17)
agility (17)
frivoling (18)
tesseract (18)
Who do you think
Mrs. Whatsit is?
How will she be able
to help?
What do we know
about Meg’s mom’s
character? What
does this quote tell
about her in the face
of possible danger?
“We’d better sit on
the pillowcases
then.”
Does Meg need an
attitude adjustment?
What could she do to
try and change her
attitude?
What does Meg mean
when she says that
facts are easier to
face than people?
What kinds of detail
does the author give that
enlightens us to the
story plot and character
development?
sulkily (21)
warily (22)
barbed (22)
avid (22)
belligerent (23)
antagonistic (23)
tractable (23)
snide (25)
sagely (26)
inadvertently (26)
placidly (28)
disillusion (28)
compulsion (29)
preconditioned
(29)
34-49
decides he wants to trust Calvin so he invites him
home for dinner. Calvin asks if their mom would
mind, but Charles says that she is not one of them.
Then also decides to take him to meet Mrs. Whatsit.
The get to the house and enter through the back.
Calvin grabs Meg’s elbow and she is no longer
afraid. Charles talks about “them enjoying all the
usual props.” They see a plump, spectacled woman
sitting in a rocking chair sewing on one of the
sheets. She assures Charles that his mom wouldn’t
mind what she was doing at all. She then speaks to
him in French, giving a proverb. There is also a pot
on the fire bubbling, which smells like his mom’s
chemicals. They note that there was no smoke
coming from the chimney outside.
She then speaks in German, Latin and then English,
telling them she didn’t mean to get caught. She was
making ghosts out of the sheets in case they needed
them. She then is introduced as Mrs. Who.
Mrs. Who then turns to Charles and tells him that
Calvin is a good one, but that he was not who she
was thinking about.
Mrs. Who reveals that the time is soon. They must
go home, eat and rest. She also tells them that they
won’t leave them behind.
Once out of the house, Charles tells them that he is
not quite sure what is going on yet. Calvin talks
about going to dinner at their house feels like he is
going home for the first time, even though he has
never been to their house before.
Chapter 3 Mrs. Who
The go to the lab, where Meg introduces Calvin to
her mom. She is working on an experiment while
cooking stew on a Bunsen Burner. He then calls
home to let his parents know he will be back late.
Then talks about how lucky Meg is that she has such
a great house, beautiful mom and people who love
her. Calvin doesn’t think his parents care about
him. He also thinks his mom is ugly, missing most
of her teeth and not combing her hair.
Meg shows him around the house. He looks at
pictures of her father at Cape Canaveral. Mrs.
Murry comes back and says that Meg has to finish
her homework before dinner. Calvin pulls out his,
but struggles with the math. Meg helps him and he
sees her genius. Her father taught her and she
knows numbers to well that she won’t prove
anything to her teachers creating a mental block.
Calvin then talks about how much he loves
everything here and what great friends he will be
with Meg. He then talks about how everyone likes
him for superficial reasons. The twins get home and
hover over Calvin very impressed by his athletic
abilities.
After they eat, the twins watch TV, Calvin reads a
story to Charles and Meg asks her mom if she was
upset. Her mother says, “Yes.”
Her mom talks about missing her father and not
understanding something, but thinking that it exists.
She references Charles being different – not
physically, but in essence.
As they talk, Calvin comes in and wants to take Meg
for a walk. She wants to ask her mom about
tesseract, but her mom tells her later. Calving grabs
Meg’s hand and they go out for a walk. The go
across the garden and sit down. He asks about her
father. She bristles when he mentions the thought of
him running away with a dame. He calms her
down, but she is no longer happy. They talk of her
father’s PhDs, Princeton, working for the
What do you think
Charles mean when
he says that they
enjoy using all the
usual props?
dilapidated (30)
sinister (30)
raucous (30)
Mood/Detail/setting
(30)
peremptory (32)
What role do you
think Calvin has in
the plot?
Will he help bring
Mr. Murry home?
assimilate (33)
Mrs. Who says the
time is soon…for
what?
Retelling/Summary
gamboled (34)
retort (34)
wryly (35)
judiciously (36)
indignant (36)
decipher (38)
mega parsec (38)
Calvin says people
like him for
unimportant reasons.
What do you think he
is talking about?
“Just because we
aren’t always able to
understand, doesn’t
mean something
doesn’t exist.” What
do you think Mrs.
Murry mean by this
phrase?
How did Mrs. Murry
say Charles was
different from
everyone else?
essence (42)
dubiously (42)
50-66
government, and working in New Mexico and
Florida. The house they live in now used to be their
summer home.
She talked about her mother and father sending
letters everyday, until her father’s letters just
stopped. Her mom went to Washington and the told
her he was on a top-secret mission. They would let
her know if anything happened. Calvin then asks if
he could be dead and Meg begins to sob. He tells
her its okay to sob and she talks about how much
she hates herself. Calvin then tells her that she is
the best thing that has ever happened to him.
Charles appeared out of the dark with Mrs. Who.
They said it was time. Mrs. Whatsit appeared over
the wall bickering with Mrs. Who as we are
introduced to Mrs. Which, whose voice seems to be
carried on the wind with silver shimmer. She is not
visible. Mrs. Which tells that she is tired and that
they have too much to do. Mrs. Who continues to
speak in different languages and famous quotes.
Chapter 4 The Black Thing
Everything shook and then Meg couldn’t tell if the
clouds covered the moon or if the moon
disappeared. She was ripped away from Calvin into
nothing. She couldn’t move. Everything was black.
She screamed, but heard nothing. Slowly she felt
tingling in her limbs and the rotation of the earth.
She could move. Charles found her and commented
on having a little more warning before their trip.
Meg was there, but couldn’t be heard. Calvin then
appeared. Her voice finally came to her and all
three kids were reunited.
Mrs. Who and Mrs. Whatsit then appear laughing as
Mrs. Which beings to appear. She takes the form of
a witch in a black robe. They then talk of peril soon
to befall. The say that Charles knows what it is.
Calvin then asks their present location – Uriel, 3rd
planet of the star Malak in the spiral nebula Messier
101. Then they talk about their traveling methods.
They tesser or wrinkle. Meg then wonders if that is
connected to what her mom was talking about
earlier.
Meg asks Mrs. Which if her father is here. Mrs.
Which explains that Mrs. Whatsit has an easier time
communicating verbally because she is younger.
Mrs. Whatsit explains that Mr. Murry is not here.
They stopped here to rest and explain what they are
up against.
Mrs. Whatsit then transforms into a white centaur
looking creature. Her voice changes and the
children no longer know what to call him/it. He
tells them Mrs. Whatsit is fine because he can take
many shapes. The kids then get on her back and
they go flying over the land.
Megs sees other creatures similar to Mrs. Whatsit
dancing in the sky above the trees. Their wings
seemed to sing, but no one could understand. Meg
asks Mrs. Whatsit, but she can’t translate. She then
asks Charles to help her. He only understands a
little, but is sure he will learn more. They feel the
song and are filled with joy. Mrs. Whatsit then tells
them they must go. She calls to another creature
that brings the children each a flower. A closer look
reveals hundreds of small flowers in the shape of a
hollow bell. She says she will tell them how to use
them as she flies away from the others. She travels
far and continues to fly higher in the air, until Meg
struggles to breathe. Mrs. Whatsit then tells them to
breathe into the flowers to give them oxygen. She
then lands on the summit as they look at one of
Imagery: Silence fell…
(46)
contradicted (48)
plaintively (49)
wafted (49)
deft (49)
paltry (49)
What do you think
about Mrs. Who
telling Mrs. Whatsit
she is a paltry few
billion years--? What
would finish the
sentence?
What has just
happened to them?
Imagery: Meg felt a
violent…(52)
Frenzy (50)
tangible(51)
void (51)
inexorable (51)
ineffable (53)
ephemeral (55)
plateau (59)
monoliths (59)
aloft (61)
Mrs. Whatsit and the
new creatures did not
have to speak to
communicate. What
kinds of ways can
you communicate
with out speaking?
What is the shadow?
Do you think it could
represent anything?
68-83
84-105
Uriel’s moons.
The moon and the sunset. A dark shadow then
began to stretch toward them. Meg had never felt so
much fear. Distracted she stopped breathing into the
flower and almost went unconscious. She pulled the
flower to her again and then wished that Charles
never had to see this shadow. Charles begs Mrs.
Whatsit to make it go away. They return to the field
of flowers where they all get off. Mrs. Which and
Mrs. Who mostly materialize and Meg asks if her
father is fighting the dark shadow.
Chapter 5 The Tesseract
Mrs. Which informs them that Mr. Murry is behind
the dark shadow. They are going to go behind the
shadow to help him. The three ladies think the
children can help.
They are going to tesser so Mrs. Whatsit tries to
explain. If an ant travels along a string in a strait
line it takes a long time, but if the string is folded
together it takes out the time traveling in the middle.
She then asks if Meg’s mom explained a Tesseract.
Meg said no, but Charles said yes. He then explains
dimensions. 1-D is a line, 2-D is a square, 3-D is
squaring the square into a cube, 4-D is time
(Einstein) and 5-D is a Tesseract (short-cut time
travel).
The 3 witches Tesser first and bring the children in
their backwash. Mrs. Which accidentally tries to
stop on a 2-D planet, where Meg feels as though she
is being squished and will surely die. Mrs. Which
then lands in Orion’s Belt after apologizing.
Meg then worries about her mother wondering
where they went. They told Meg that they did a
time and a space wrinkle so everything will be fine.
If all goes well they should show up 5 minutes
before they left.
Meg then looks around at the planet noticing that
there is nothing to notice. It is slightly foggy. She
asks Mrs. Whatsit how old she is – 2,379,152,497
years 8 months and 3 days. She says that she is
young and very lucky to be on the mission. She is
there mostly because she can communicate and
materialize so well.
The group moved into a cave where they saw a
woman in silk and a turban gazing into a crystal
ball, laughing. She started a bonfire for them. The
Medium was then asked to show the children their
home planet. She is disappointed that she must look
at something so awful, when there are so many
wonderful things to look at.
Meg looks into the ball first and sees a planet. Mrs.
Which chides The Medium for showing her Mars
and redirects her to Earth. She then becomes upset
when she sees earth engulfed by the darkness. Meg
asks when it came to Earth and they tell her it has
been covering Earth for years.
Charles cries out that he hates it and that it feels
evil. Mrs. Which then tells him it is Darkness, It is
Evil. They want to fight it and ask how. The ladies
talk of fighters from Earth. All of the greats we
know – Jesus, Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Euclid, her
father. They are now taking them to her father who
is on a planet who has completely given up.
Chapter 6 The Happy Medium
They watched in the crystal ball. They saw the
darkness as a burst of light shown through and
dissipated the darkness. Mrs. Whatsit then tells
them that a star has given up its life to get rid of the
darkness. She is clearly upset. Charles then asks if
she had been a star that had lost her life. She says,
The author provides a
lot of detail so you
can visualize the
scene. How did the
detail of the shadow
make you feel? Did
it remind you of
anything?
corona (66)
Can you visualize the
intensity of Meg’s
cry? How does the
author describe her
torment?
Euclid (72)
How does the author
describe a tesseract?
(73) Does this sound
like something you
would ever want to
experience? Why?
Why not?
Mrs. Whatsit says
that we can’t take
credit for our talents,
only how we use
them. What does she
mean?
sonorous (78)
reverberated (79)
What fighters have
come from Earth?
What was significant
about the people that
were mentioned?
seethe (84)
writhe (84)
anticlimax (84)
What is Mrs.
Whatsit? Any ideas?
“yes.” Charles comforts her with a hug and a kiss.
Meg wants to do the same, but knows it would not
be the same.
Mrs. Whatsit loved being a star. Meg then realizes
that Mrs. Whatsit could be many things. The
Medium then falls asleep looking into her crystal
ball and Meg throws a slew of questions about her
father and where they would be going and when.
Mrs. Which reminds her to be patient and tells
everyone that they should head outside. On the way
out The Happy Medium wakes up and offers some
food. The ladies decline as Meg realizes how
hungry she really is. Charles informs Meg that the
ladies don’t have to eat, but he will remind them
soon that they need to.
The Medium wanted to do something nice for the
children after exposing them to such terrible things
so she offers to show them their mom in the crystal
ball. Meg wants to see her dad, her mom and
Calvin’s mom. Mrs. Which chides her and tells her
to be patient. She then tells them that they can see
Mrs. Murry and Calvin’s mom since they asked,
even though she thinks it is a bad idea.
They saw Calvin’s mom first, standing by the dishes
toothless as she turned around grabbing a spoon.
She yelled at two younger kids and started whacking
one of them with the spoon. Meg took Calvin’s
hand to comfort him as she thought, that if anyone
had told her all of this would happen, she wouldn’t
believe it.
Seeing their mother next, Meg became angry as she
saw her mother writing her father looking very sad.
The Medium apologized for disturbing the children,
but Meg said being angry was good, because the she
had no room to be scared. Everyone gave her a hug
and or kiss. The Medium then asked where they
were headed next, in case she wanted to watch Camazots. She fell asleep and the left.
After they materialize on Camazots the three
witches inform them that they can no longer help
them. Mrs. Whatsit admits that she is afraid for
them, but she was afraid when she gave up her life
as a star too. They also give a gift to each child.
Charles gets his ability to communicate with people
strengthened. Meg gets her faults (They said they
would prove useful). Mrs. Who then tells Calvin
that he gets the resilience from his childhood and
then is given a hint as a passage from, The Tempest
is recited. The ladies dissipate into the wind and the
children are left on a hill that looks very much like it
could be on earth.
Mrs. Who then bestows a gift. Charles must
remember that he does not know everything. Mrs.
Who then leaves her spectacles to Meg and tells her
to use them only as a last resort.
Mrs. Which then gives them her command. She
tells them to stay together. Others will try to split
them apart. Charles must be careful of pride and
arrogance because they may betray you. They then
disappeared. Meg grabbed Calvin and Charles’
hands and headed down the hill toward the village.
Walking into town all of the houses and yards
looked the same. There were children playing in the
front, but their play didn’t seem normal. All of the
children were playing in rhythm. All the balls
bounced at the same time and the jump ropes swung
together. Then all the moms came out of the
houses, clapped and the children came in, but one.
This child couldn’t through is ball in a rhythm or
even catch it. Then his mother came out, looking
What could be bad
about checking on
their parents in the
ball?
eon (90)
How do you think
each child’s gifts
might help them?
What information do
you think the passage
provides for Calvin?
malignant (91)
precipitously (92)
propitious (92)
talisman (93)
abhorr’d (93)
unmitigable (93)
cloven (93)
rift (93)
furtive (97)
106-123
around wildly, grabbed the child and pulled him
inside as his ball bounced into the street. They
decide to return the child’s ball, then continue on.
They knock, then ring the bell.
The lady slowly peers out the door at the children as
all the neighbors open their doors and peek out. The
mom says she will not let them in, since they don’t
have papers. She also says that she has paid
everything and gotten her milk. They should not be
there. They try to return the ball, but she says her
son has never dropped a ball. Charles holds out the
ball and the boy grabs it, running back inside. The
mom slams the door and goes inside. The neighbors
also slam their doors shut.
They continue on until the see apartment buildings.
A boy Charles’ age is tossing newspapers. Each
time the same arc and the same landing place at
each house. He slows down and questions the kids.
They are not allowed to be outside right now. Do
they have papers? Are they inspectors? They are
standing in the most productive city on the planet.
Nothing ever stops or goes wrong. Apparently, they
also have 5 poets, 1 musician, 3 artists, and 6
sculptors. He tells them that this is why CENTRAL
Central Inteligence makes its home in this city. He
then starts asking them questions. Charles asks if he
is supposed to be asking questions and the boy takes
off talking about getting in trouble after he begs
forgiveness.
As they continue on the come to office buildings,
people are coming and going autonomously. Calvin
is worried about going any further until they get
papers. Charles says they won’t need them. Charles
then stops to listen to the people. They are
wondering if they are robots. He says he can sense
the pulsing of their brains, but can’t get any
information. Meg wants to find their father, but
Charles is afraid he won’t recognize him. Calvin
then tells them that he has a horrible feeling that if
they go in there something very bad will happen.
Chapter 7 The Man With Red Eyes
The approached the main building wondering how
to get into the door, when it split into 3 sections and
opened. They went inside to see people sitting on 3
sides of the room. The blank wall was icy and cold.
They went up to a man and asked him why he was
here, what he was doing and who was in charge. He
replied by telling them to file his A papers. If there
was more he needed to file, he had to put his S
papers in the B slot. He told them that he worked on
the number one spelling machine on the second
grade level and that one of his letters was jamming.
The man then tells Charles he will have to report
him so he is not reprocessed. He took them to the
wall and slid in a card. He sat back down and the
wall gave way to a room full of machines. The
children walked for what seemed like miles.
Suddenly, Charles told them to hold onto his hands
and not let go because “he” was trying to get at him.
They continue on to the end of the room to where
they meet a man sitting in a chair on a platform.
The man seems to contain all of the darkness they
felt when they went through the shadow. He tells
them he has been waiting for them, but never
speaks. His words are directly imported into their
brains. They then notice his eyes pulsing red.
Charles tells them to close their eyes so they are not
hypnotized. The man tells them that they will come
around to him in time. He will take on their pain
and suffering by making all of the decisions for
What is odd about
the neighborhood?
Predictions/Questioning
aberration (98)
Why is everything so
cookie cutter?
bilious (107)
unsubstantial
(107)
What do you think
happens when
someone is
reprocessed?
What is IT?
requisition (109)
124-152
them. Charles says that they will make their own
decisions. Men in black smocks then appear. The
man then told them to repeat multiplication tables
with him. Charles started shouting nursery rhymes.
Meg started to feel the words drill into her head.
She started screaming for her father and was pulled
out of the daze unaltered.
Charles grows angry after talking about trust and
finding their father that he runs up to the man and
punches him. Calvin and Meg grab him as the man
continues to talk only slightly phases. Charles
reveals that the red-eyed man is not talk to them.
Someone is talking through him. He didn’t think he
was real. He then apologizes.
The man then says he will reveal himself to Charles
if he will look into his eyes. Meg begs him not to,
but he does anyway. He then begins walking
toward the man in a trance, until Meg tackles him.
Charles comes to his senses and Meg demands food.
The man laughs and talks of their super nutritional
meals that have no taste or mess.
The man says that he must look into Charles eyes
again. Meg asks if someone else can. He tells them
their brains will explode if they try to comprehend it
all.
The men in the smocks then bring out a fake turkey
dinner. Meg and Calvin like it, but it tastes like
sand to Charles. The man cannot get into Charles’s
mind, only Meg and Calvin’s – through their chinks.
Charles then convinces them that he needs to figure
out what the man is. The man says that Charles
could leave when he wanted, but that he wouldn’t
want to. The man also says that he is utter rest and
peace from responsibility.
Charles tried to get into his mind again, but was lost.
His trance was disconcerting. Charles then began to
eat the turkey dinner like it was the best thing he had
ever eaten.
Chapter 8 The Transparent Column
Meg throws the plate as another one is brought out.
She knows that Charles is no longer in charge of
himself. Calvin and Meg both grab Charles so that
he can’t get away. He tries to get free, showing
strength he never had. He got away from Meg, but
not Calvin. Meg was grabbed by the black-robed
men. Calvin was also pried loose by 3 of them.
Charles then tries to convince them that Mrs.
Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which were the
enemies and that the man was their friend. Calvin
asks to be released and to have the man stop talking
through Charles. The man then tells them he is the
Prime Coordinator and that is all they need to know.
He then told them that Charles will take them to Mr.
Murry. On the way down the hall, Meg reminds
Calvin that he has the gift of communication.
Calvin went up to Charles and started talking.
Charles partially came back and then went under a
trance again, very annoyed. Charles then begins a
lecture on Camazotz. He spoke of no illness.
Anyone who is sick is, “put to sleep.” IT takes care
of it. They then came to a wall that went transparent
walked through it into a little room. Charles said
that he merely moved the atoms. It was an elevator
that went upward. Charles went on to talk about
how everyone was the same to eliminate problems.
Charles then tells them he will take them to IT if
they don’t start cooperating. IT is the happiest
sadist.
Charles tells them that it is better for everyone to be
the same, to be one and that no one is ever unhappy
obliquely (114)
How have the
children started to
use their gifts?
chortling (115)
gallivanting (115)
dogged tenacity
(119)
How would you feel
if you were Meg,
watching Charles.
Compare/Contrast our
world with their world
pedantic (129)
annihilate (130)
sulfurous (130)
ominous (130)
How do people being
different cause
problems? What
would the world be
like if we were all the
same?
sadist (132)
153-179
180-198
here. Meg then realizes that if you are never
unhappy, you can never be happy.
They stop as the wall goes clear and the see the little
boy from earlier bouncing a ball. He screams every
time the ball bounces in rhythm – as if in pain. He
will never deviate again.
Then they see a transparent column in the middle of
another room. Her father is inside.
Chapter 9 IT
Meg ran at the column to get to her father as she hit
an invisible wall and was knocked back. Meg looks
at her father longingly and then runs at Charles to
tackle him, trying to take him from being possessed.
Charles Wallace stuck out his fist and punched her
in the stomach. Calvin then quoted from, The
Tempest while staring at Charles. He began to
shudder and start to regain as Calvin tried harder.
He almost had him recovered until he lost him. Meg
then remembers the glasses given to her by Mrs.
Who in her pocket. As she tries to put them on
Charles lunges at her. She gets through the
transparent wall and kicks Charles away. Calvin is
pounding on the invisible wall trying to get in. Meg
then goes through the transparent column into her
dad’s arms. He is surprised to see her and asks how
everyone is doing. She tells him that they have to
go see Charles quickly. Then she realizes that her
father cannot see anything. She puts Mrs. Who’s
glasses on him and he can see. He leaves the
column and realizes that she is alone so he goes
back and pulls her out. Mr. Murry goes to Charles
Wallace, but Charles is very disrespectful and
demands that they go see IT. They leave the room
and join Calvin. Charles walks off and everyone
follows. Meg explains they are going to IT and that
she doesn’t want to go. Calvin tells her that he will
stick by Charles no matter what. They leave the
building and head down the street.
They come to a violet glowing dome that seems to
be pulsing. Suddenly, they are inside and she can
feel her heart and breathing aligned with the pulse.
She regained only temporarily. She then saw IT in
the middle of the room. It was a large pulsing brain.
Calvin shouted to Mr. Murry to keep Meg safe.
She could feel herself being over come so she tried
yelling nursery rhymes. That fell into rhythm so she
tried the Declaration of Independence. It was then
that she realized that like and equal do NOT mean
the same thing.
Her dad distracts he by asking her questions so she
is not overtaken. Then she hears Calvin telling Mr.
Murry to tesser. He does and Meg is whisked away
into unconsciousness.
Chapter 10 Absolute Zero
Meg, Calvin and Mr. Murry tesser, but Meg is still
unconscious. Mr. Murry says that he was ready to
give up when the found him. He also tells of
another man tessering before him. That man never
returned so he did it. It is very difficult to control.
He was headed to Mars and accidentally landed in
Camazotz. Her heartbeat gradually increases and
she is soon able to open her eyes and ask about
Charles. She then realizes that she has been frozen
and the planet is completely gray and brown.
Mr. Murry tells Meg that Charles was left behind so
he wasn’t destroyed. Meg rages all over her father
and is engulfed in anger. Her father stays calm and
tries to bring feeling into her hands.
Then they are approached by 3 beings, larger than a
man. They have no eyes, 4 arms and many tentacles
What does Meg mean
when she says if you
are never unhappy,
you will never learn
to be happy.
emanate (133)
brusquely (141)
gait (145)
“Despair settled like
a stone in the pit of
Meg’s stomach.”
What does that
mean? (145)
descent (146)
dais (148)
omnipotent (148)
disembodied (148)
revolting (148)
nauseating (148)
How is IT trying to
confuse Meg’s logic?
Did Charles get left
behind?
What will happen to
him?
systole (149)
diastole (149)
miasma (149)
formaldehyde
(151)
cerebrum (151)
cerebellum (151)
imperceptible
(159)
The author says that
Meg is as overcome
by the Black Thing
as Charles? Is this
possible? How?
fallible (162)
loathing (164)
revulsion (164)
assuaged (164)
in the place of fingers. They asks why they are here.
Calvin explains and one of the creatures touches
Meg with a tentacle filling her with warmth and
calm. It then picked her up and told them it was
taking her.
Chapter 11 Aunt Beast
Mr. Murry asks them not to take Meg, but they tell
him they must to save her life. The creatures give
Meg much comfort. They begin to heal her by
rubbing something into her skin.
The planet is completely dark and the creatures
don’t understand what it means to see, yet they have
a deeper understanding of things. She tries to
explain vision, but fails. They praise her father for
being able to escape from a dark planet. They are
also fighting the Black Thing on their planet.
The creatures have a meeting to try and figure out
what to do. They ask Meg to be patient.
The small one then fed and sang to her. The
creature then named herself, Aunt Beast. She
bathed and dressed Meg, then taking her to her
father and Calvin.
They eat breakfast together as they discuss their
options. Mr. Murry is afraid to tesser and is trying
to find a way to help. Meg begins to yell and Aunt
Beast tells them not to judge her harshly. Meg then
tries to tell them about Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and
Mrs. Which. They don’t understand. Calvin
explains them as Guardian Angels. Then the three
appear.
Chapter 12 The Foolish and the Weak
All the creatures rose at once as Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.
Which and Mrs. Who began to materialize. Meg
went to embrace Mrs. Whatsit, but she wasn’t fully
materialized. They had come to talk about Charles.
Meg becomes upset and blames everything on her
father. The 3 witches are annoyed with her
behavior. She begs them to save him, but they say
they cannot. Mr. Murry then bows to them and
introduces himself. He then asks them to show him
how to tesser better so he can return to save Charles.
Meg begins to throw and tantrum and beat Aunt
Beast asking them what will become of Charles.
She does not want to go back. Finally, they silence
her and she becomes calm, knowing that she is the
one to go back and save Charles. She knows him
better than anyone else. Calvin and Mr. Murry both
object. Calvin feels like he hasn’t fulfilled his
purpose and that he should be the one to go.
Mrs. Whatsit tries to explain why they don’t know
the future. She draws a parallel to a sonnet. There
are rules, but we all write our own. She then says
that Meg has to be the one that goes and that no one
else may go with her. She is going to be in grave
peril. She hugs Aunt Beast, kisses Calvin and asks
for her father’s forgiveness.
Mrs. Which will tesser Meg through this time so she
will survive. Each witch then gives her a gift. Mrs.
Whatsit gives her love. Mrs. Who quotes telling her
that God chooses the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise.
Mrs. Which then whisks her away by tessering. She
landed on the hill they did before in Camazotz as
Mrs. Which gives her the last gift. She tells Meg
that Meg has something that IT doesn’t have. She
can use it as a weapon if she can figure out what it
is. She was then alone. She walked through the
barren streets toward the dome. She was thinking
about her gifts and everything she had to do to
succeed.
emanate (165)
trepidation (167)
despondency (177)
How would you
explain being able to
see?
What does it mean to
be measured and
found wanting? (178)
“We want nothing
from you that you
will do without
grace.” What do they
mean?
Do you think Meg
will be successful in
her quest?
formidably (182)
iambic pentameter
(186)
What do you think
Mrs. Who’s advice
means?
unadulterated
(194)
How did Meg
interpret Mrs. Who’s
advice? Do you
agree?
Entering the building IT was still lying there with
her brother right beside IT. Charles tried to tell her
that Mrs. Whatsit was on their side and that she
hated her. She then discovers that love is the key.
She needs to figure out how show that she loves
Charles Wallace. She stands there and thinks about
how much she loves Charles. He comes out of his
trance and runs into her arms. She is whooshed out
of the room while holding Charles. She is tessered
back to the twins’ garden where she finds her dad
and Calvin. They all hug and her dad heads off to
go see her mom. Everyone comes out and hugs.
Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which then are
before them. They apologize for not being able to
say goodbye, but they had to go. They left in a gust
of wind and no one knows where they had to go.
vestige (194)
vulnerable (195)
What happens next?