This is the second of Madeleine L'Engle's Chronos Quartet novels featuring the Murry family and their journeys through time and space. With believable characters and a suspenseful plot, it is arguably the best of the sequels to the classic A Wrinkle in Time.

In some of the entries in the Quartet, the hypersensitive, loving, and gifted Murry children can seem wildly age-challenged, speaking and acting like people much older or younger than their given years. Here they face enough real-kid problems, such as Charles Wallace's torment at the hands of school bullies, to seem real.

In all four books, the fate of the universe turns on the actions of the Murrys. The three trials Meg must pass in A Wind in the Door are all interpersonal; her ability to communicate love is being tested. That makes for some scenes that are long on dialogue and short on action; "too many talky scenes" was one twelve-year-old's only negative comment.

Yet there are enough surprises to sustain the suspense, and the ideas that drive the scenes are interesting, ranging from the interconnectedness of the universe to the deadening role of fear in relationships. As absorbing to an adult reader as it is to young readers, this is a rewarding book with generous helpings of the L'Engle magic.

The next book in the series is A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Readers seeking other works that blend vivid characters and imaginative worlds might enjoy Diana Wynne Jones's fantasies, such as Hexwood.

From the Book:

"Oh, earthling, earthling, why do you think Blajeny called for you? There is war in heaven, and we need all the help we can get. The Echthroi are spreading through the universe. ... A star or a child or a farandola--size doesn't matter, Meg. The Echthroi are after Charles Wallace and the balance of the entire universe can be altered by the outcome."